


Dalliance

by yuucafae



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Badass Lee Taeyong, Character Death, Character Development, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gore, Jaehyun is a sweetheart, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Minor Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Soft Nakamoto Yuta, kind of?, mentions of nsfw, taeyong has insomnia, taeyong has issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-03-26 18:26:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19011391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuucafae/pseuds/yuucafae
Summary: Dalliance is Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in which Taeyong, Jaehyun and Yuta want to join a survival-group called Neo in order to, well, survive, but also to find a cure for the whole zombie-infection."How did you know that we can get onto the roof?" Yuta asked and Taeyong turned around to look at the smaller male. "I am staying nearby" he muttered."I know this store in and out" he added, taking another drag and exhaling the smoke as he threw the stub off the rooftop and into a patch of grass. "Don't do that, you might set off a fire" Yuta said with knitted brows and Taeyong laughed, dryly. "The world is ending, sweetie, don't worry" he said as he leaned against the railing





	1. Chapter one.

It had happened.  
Long time ago, it had actually happened; something people had feared for long and thought of as unrealistic and impossible. The people were foolish to think that it wouldn't occur, though.

And so it did, almost as if the universe wanted to play an evil little trick on them.  
The apocalypse. More specifically, the zombie apocalypse.  
It all began in Yokohama, Japan. No one knows how or why but, out of the blue, there was a group of people that ran around the busy city streets, as if possessed, biting and attacking people.  
But that was a while ago, when Nakamoto Yuta, a Japanese high school-student had just turned 17 years old.

He was now older, more experienced and fighting to survive.

It seemed, today was Yuta’s lucky days, though. Finding a fairly full convenience store that was barely holding itself up, he gasped. The store was falling apart and that may have been why there was so much left; people must have thought it was too dangerous to enter. This was Yuta, though, a hungry Yuta and he could care less.

  
Striding over to the entrance whose door was broken, he carefully slid in, glad that he was small and slim enough. His huge sweater got caught in the frame and Yuta yanked it away, resulting in a rip. He whined. "That was my favourite one" he said to no one in particular. His favourite sweater was one that he had found in an abandoned house. The owner must have been big and buff as all he had owned was three times Yuta's size. Yuta had packed some clothes in the big (women's) bag that he had found in the very same house and fled. He carried said bag with him, stuffing every edible item that fit. Coming across some dirty jars, one in particular caught Yuta's eyes. It was peanut butter. God, when was the last time Yuta had eaten peanut butter? Too long, he decided, reaching for the jar when suddenly-  
"What the fuck?" a deep voice echoed in the otherwise empty store and Yuta froze. Looking through the rack, he found dark eyes staring back at him. Alarmed, he tried pulling the jar out of the other's deadly grip. "That's my jar of peanut butter!" he yelled to which the stranger groaned out in pain as Yuta had pulled harshly which had said stranger crash against the very rack. Pulling back, Yuta was now the one to groan, as his head smashed against the metal frame. "Let go!" he yelled but the other yelled back, equally as loud. "No, you let go" he growled and- oh, the stranger was male.  
"I haven't had peanut butter in years, bitch" Yuta retorted and pulled back with twice the strength as before. The other had let go and Yuta fell backwards, toppling over some stuff that was lying on the floor. The stranger quickly took advantage of the moment and pulled Yuta by the legs. "Fuck- don't touch me" Yuta yelled. "Well, don't touch my jar of peanut butter!" the other yelled back. Yuta tried kicking him and crawling away but the stranger held him down, sitting on top of Yuta's small frame. "Get off of me!" Yuta wheezed. "Not before you give me my damn jar, you twink" The stranger spat but Yuta held the jar close to his own chest, where the other wasn't able to reach. The stranger bent down, bodies flush as he tried yanking Yuta's hands up. "Give up, I have you caged" he muttered. Yuta was about to open his mouth to say something when he heard disturbing groans outside of the store. His eyes widened and he paled. "Fuck, get off, there are zombies" he whispered, voice shaky as he started panickingly moving, trying to shove the other away. The stranger stood up and pulled Yuta up as if he weighed nothing.

  
"Run, run!" the stranger whisper-yelled, dragging Yuta by the arm to the back of the store as he broke out in a sprint. He shoved Yuta in a room but stood outside, pulling out a gun. "Stay behind me" he said and Yuta felt like a princess being saved by the hero for a second before remembering what kind of situation he was in.

Right, zombies.

Yuta flinched as the other shot something Yuta didn't dare to look at. A few more shots were heard when suddenly the stranger pushed Yuta in further, entering the room himself, which is when Yuta had the opportunity to properly see the slightly taller male and, well, the stranger was handsome and maybe Yuta wasn't all that straight, but right now was not the time to think about things like these.  
"We're stuck" the (handsome) stranger said, brushing his black hair out of his face, revealing sharp looking eyes and stern, bold eyebrows.

  
"What do you mean, we're stuck?" Yuta whisper-yelled and the taller sighed. "There are too many outside and it's all because of your hysterical screaming. Didn't you know that noise attracts the dead?" he asked, annoyed.

  
"I attracted them? Oh, please, if only you just let me have my rightful jar of peanut butter, this wouldn't have happened" Yuta retorted and the taller growled, grabbing Yuta by the collar of his oversized sweater. "This isn't the time to play the blame-game, listen to my orders or we'll die. Got it, princess?" he said with a glare and Yuta knitted his eyebrows. He wanted to defend himself but Yuta was aware that this would only make matters worse so he decided to listen to the other.

  
"Here's the plan, since the room is small and there are no windows, you'll have to crawl through the air shaft, create noise somewhere, anywhere but near both doors so I can sneak away and lure the zombies out" he said but Yuta squinted his eyes. "Why would I trust you? You could easily leave me here to rot once you're outside" Yuta said accusingly and the stranger sighed for the nth time. "I already saved you once, why would I leave you behind, princess?" the taller said Yuta pouted like a sulky child. "My name's not princess, asshole" Yuta mumbled and the taller raised a brow. "What can I call you then?" he asked, letting go of Yuta's sweater and Yuta huffed "Nakamoto Yuta".

  
"Lee Taeyong. Anyways, cute little introduction-time over, I think there are more pressing issues, hm?" Taeyong said as he glanced at the door that was repeatedly banged at by the dead. Yuta nodded. "help me up?" he asked as he looked up at the air shaft. Taeyong linked his hands for Yuta to step on. Yuta did and forcefully opened the opening to the air shaft. Taeyong propped up the smaller male with a grunt and Yuta climbed in.

  
"Oh it's disgusting in here" Taeyong heard the other complain as he crawled in deeper at which Taeyong rolled his eyes with a small smirk.

  
Upon seeing another opening, Yuta crawled towards it and peaked through it. He was able to see Zombies who were at Taeyong's door. Banging against the shaft, he yelled, "Hey zombies, come get me!“.

  
The zombies turned towards Yuta and aimlessly walked around the place in which the noise was heard. They weren't able to see, which was good. Yuta watched as Taeyong opened the door carefully and sneaked around the several Undead. Taeyong went outside and Yuta really hoped the other meant what he had said.

  
Taeyong had grabbed something earlier from inside of the store which Yuta couldn't see but he could clearly hear it now;  
He must have grabbed an Air horn and duct tape. Smart. The herd of zombies quickly ran outside and Yuta sighed relieved.

  
Kicking off the opening of the air shaft, he hopped out. Taeyong came back in with a smug smile. "Told you, I won't leave you behind" he said with his gloved hands in the pockets of his torn black pants. "Thanks, Taeyong" Yuta said, breathless and Taeyong nodded. "Now, where were we?" he said with a smirk as he took the jar the two were fighting about earlier from off a shelf.  
Yuta smiled slightly. "You were taking what's mine, that's where we were" Yuta replied, walking up to the other. Taeyong hummed and looked down at Yuta with lidded eyes. "Why don't we share, princess?" he suggested.

  
Yuta hummed, not so keen on that idea but he didn't have much choice anyways. "Alright, but just because you saved me" he said with a small huff.  
"Grab some more stuff and meet me on the rooftop" Taeyong ordered. Yuta really disliked how the taller thought he could tell Yuta what to do but he didn't say anything.  
Instead, he looked around the store and grabbed a ton of food. He also grabbed the bag he had left when the two ran to the back of the store earlier.

  
He got poptarts, three cans of ravioli, bread and many other things he thought of as great to have.  
Climbing up a rusty ladder, he got onto the roof of the store, where Taeyong was, smoking a cigarette, as if he couldn't be anymore badass and hot.

  
"How did you know that we can get onto the roof?" Yuta asked and Taeyong turned around to look at the smaller male. "I am staying nearby" he muttered.

  
"I know this store in and out" he added, taking another drag and exhaling the smoke as he threw the stub off the rooftop and into a patch of grass. "Don't do that, you might set off a fire" Yuta said with knitted brows and Taeyong laughed, dryly. "The world is ending, sweetie, don't worry" he said as he leaned against the railing. "What did you get?" he asked, looking at Yutas bag.  
"Uhm, Ravioli, poptarts, bread, cupcakes, some apples, a flashlight, duct tape and a blanket" Yuta said, looking through his bag.

  
"You should get weapons instead of all of this unnecessary stuff" Taeyong said and Yuta was mildly offended at that as he was very happy with what he got.  
"Come with me, i'll lend you something" Taeyong said but Yuta scoffed. "I don't need weapons, I can easily defend myself with just my hands" Yuta said.  
"Is that so?" Taeyong said as he walked up to the other "Prove it to me, then, princess, pretend I'm a zombie" Taeyong said challengingly as he grabbed the other's arm harshly.  
Yuta gasped and scrunched his face in mild anger. He tried to pry off Taeyong's hand but Taeyong suddenly pushed him down as he hooked in the other's leg so Yuta would trip.  
Pinning him down hard and straddling the smaller male’s stomach, Taeyong pulled Yuta by the hair, revealing his neck to which Yuta whimpered and squirmed.  
"See, I could easily bite your neck just like that" is all Taeyong said but Yuta huffed breathlessly. "Zombies can't trip people, idiot" he said and Taeyong laughed "my point still stands. Come with me, now?" he said and Yuta nodded and rolled his eyes. Letting go of Yuta's hair with a glint in his eyes, Taeyong stood up and offered Yuta a hand to stand up but Yuta ignored it, getting onto his feet by himself as he fixed his blonde hair.

  
"What did you get if you know that much better?" Yuta asked as he followed the taller and Taeyong turned around for a second to look at the smaller with a smug smile, "Cigarettes, alcohol and a lot of sweets" he said, looking proud.

  
Yuta questioned the other's choice but kept silent. Taeyong led the smaller into an old-looking building.

  
"Welcome to my little hell of a hole" Taeyong muttered, as he kicked in a door. "Jaehyun, I'm back and I got us something sweet as I promised" Taeyong yelled, pointing towards Yuta. "oh and I got us butterfingers and cake" he added, laughing.  
Jaehyun grinned towards the other, "You found something interesting in the store, now, didn't you?" he asked as he got up from where he was sitting in the almost empty room. "I can hear you, you know? I'm not deaf" Yuta spat.  
"My bad, sorry, I'm Jung Jaehyun, nice to meet you" he said as he smiled sheepishly and held out his hand to shake. Yuta gave the other a stinky eye and muttered a small "Nakamoto Yuta", completely ignoring Jaehyun's hand.  
Jaehyun nodded and turned towards Taeyong. "Real talk now, what did you bring him for?" he asked and Taeyong, who was taking out another cigarette spoke up. "Princess right here thinks he can fight off zombies with his bare hands" he said. Lighting up the cigarette and blowing the smoke out shortly after. "He's helpless on his own, got almost killed by zombies if I didn't save his little ass".  
Yuta scoffed. "As if, fuck you" he said, crossing his arms. Jaehyun chuckled at their antics.  
"Let's go, princess, i'll show you some weapons" Taeyong said, amused "Quit calling me princess!" Yuta said, following the taller "Or what? You're gonna end me like you would end a zombie with your bare little hands?" Taeyong asked, laughing but Yuta was fed up with it, pushing the taller against a nearby wall with all his might. Before he could do as much as open his mouth to threaten the other, Taeyong flipped them over, pinning Yuta against the wall.  
"Don't try your little tricks on me, Yuta, I'm just trying to help you, got it?" Taeyong growled, not so playful and teasing anymore and Yuta gulped.  
"You can't be like that just because you saved me, what the fuck?" Yuta spat back and Taeyong knitted his brows. "Listen, I am gonna help you, whether you like it or not".  
"Why?" Yuta asked, voice small. "Because I can't stand seeing people die around me anymore" Taeyong muttered and let go.

Taeyong walked off and Yuta wordlessly followed him.

Silence dawned upon them for what seemed like years as they made their way towards what seemed to be the basement. Taeyong soon enough spoke up breaking the tranquillity "Nakamoto" he muttered and Yuta's ears perked up.  
"Nakamoto Yuta. You aren't from Korea, are you?" he asked, not looking at the smaller "No, I'm from Japan.." he said "Why are you here then?" Taeyong asked, looking back at the other.  
"My family and I came to Korea because we thought it'd be less bad than in Japan since it all started in Yokohama. Me and my sister studied Korean in high school so it was our only option" Yuta explained, looking at his feet as he walked.  
"And where's your family now?" Taeyong asked, stopping midway. Yuta looked up into the other's eyes and shook his head softly with a sad smile.

"Oh".

Silence.

The two stood there for a little as Yuta felt a lump form in his throat. "I'm sorry that happened, Yuta" Taeyong mumbled and Yuta released a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding. "It's fine".  
They went downstairs and soon enough were greeted with a heavy door. Taeyong opened said door and put the lights on.  
"What about your parents?" Yuta asked but Taeyong completely ignored the question "Here's where we keep our weapons" he instead said and Yuta knitted his brows.  
Taeyong turned around to face Yuta and looked him deep into the eyes. "If you plan on stealing food or weapons and running away, trust me, Jaehyun and I will find you and you'll wish you weren't even born to begin with, got it?" Taeyong said and Yuta flinched at the other's sudden change.  
"Got it, I won't steal" Yuta said timidly and Taeyong nodded, satisfied.  
"I don't just let anyone in here" Taeyong said as he entered the basement "You're lucky, Yuta" he added as he caressed some of the weapons gently.  
"Why do you trust me, then?" Yuta asked, keeping a safe distance to all of the weapons.  
Taeyong laughed dryly "I don't trust you princess, but you're weak, so I know that if you were to do something, I could easily break your lithe pretty body in a matter of seconds" Taeyong said in the bat of an eye "Besides, you're smaller than me and Jaehyun so you could crawl through places we can't. Shit like that. You think we'd keep you with us if you didn't serve us anything?" Taeyong said as he turned around to look at Yuta.  
Yuta shook his head and Taeyong let out a sinister laugh (by then Yuta was sure Taeyong was some sort of sadist). Walking around, Yuta looked at all the weapons, wondering where they got them. Almost as if Taeyong was able to hear his thoughts, he spoke up "We find these weapons on people that have been bitten. Sometimes there are weapons lying around in other buildings or houses" he said, eyes cold as he looks at the wall of pistols, guns, knives and more.  
"Choose one and come to the garden, understood?" Taeyong said and walked out, leaving Yuta on his own, even before the smaller was able to answer.  
Yuta sighed and looked at all the possibilities. He felt sick to the stomach at the thought of killing someone. Sure, the dead were a threat but those were once people that had family.  
He couldn't imagine ending someone's life that once had so much potential, so much in mind, so many goals and so many ideas. Someone innocent that is merely possessed by something outside of their control.  
Yuta felt a shudder run down his spine.

He grabbed a gun without much thought to it and left the basement, closing the door on his way out.

Walking upstairs, he came across Jaehyun, who was carrying some food. He stopped midway to look at Yuta with a smug smile "You don't plan to shoot us both and claim the building as yours, do you?" he asked, jokingly and Yuta cracked a small smile "No.. Taeyong will teach me how to use it" Yuta said.  
Jaehyun hummed, putting away the food and grabbing the gun gently, inspecting it "Taeyong's really nice. He took me in as well, you know? We've been having each other's backs since. It's been half a year since I met him. He had two other companions at first but- well.. You know how it goes. They didn't make it" Jaehyun said with sad eyes "He can come off as rude sometimes, but trust me, he just tries to make the best of the situation and wants everyone to be safe" the taller finished, handing Yuta the gun back gently. Their hands brushed.  
"He'll warm up to you, eventually" Jaehyun added and took the food, walking off, leaving Yuta speechless. What was it with them leaving Yuta before he could even say something?

Yuta eventually found the garden where Taeyong was standing, smoking a cigarette. For a second Yuta was worried about the other's health but this was Taeyong, he was different, so Yuta shrugged it off.  
"What took you so long?" Taeyong asked, not even turning around to look at the Japanese male.  
"Sorry, I- uhm, Jaehyun and I talked for a little" Yuta said, walking up to the taller. Taeyong took the other's gun and looked at it while smoking. "Cute choice" he said as he exhaled smoke "This gun has a silencer, so you can't hear it when you shoot" Taeyong said, taking one last drag of his cigarette before throwing the stub onto the ground and smothering it with his foot.  
"Stand still" Taeyong said as he stood behind Yuta. Taking the other's right hand, he placed the gun there. "Hold it with both of your hands" Taeyong said as he guided the other's hands with his. This obviously wasn't the first time for Taeyong to be awfully close to Yuta as Taeyong had pinned and thrown Yuta around like a ragdoll numerous times in just this one day but somehow Taeyong's soft voice and gentle touch made Yuta's heart flutter.  
Yuta blamed it on the gun, he was surely just too nervous to shoot. Yeah, the gun, that must be it.  
"There we go, you're holding it right" Taeyong said in that deep voice of his right next to Yuta's ear and a shudder ran down Yuta's spine.

It was the gun, surely.

Aiming at decorative piece in the garden, Taeyong spoke up again. "Shoot that" he said and Yuta pulled the trigger, closing his eyes. All that was heard was the garden gnome shattering. Yuta turned to look at where he had shot.  
"Good job, but open your eyes next time, yeah?" Taeyong said, still very much in the same position, his face awfully close to Yuta's, his hands guiding the others and his chest flush against the smaller male's back.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't just the gun.

"Get in, Lovebirds, I made food" Yuta heard Jaehyun call out. Said male was standing against the door frame with his arms crossed and a smug smile and Yuta's face flushed at that.  
He muttered a small "Thank you" to Taeyong and wiggled out of the other's hold, face red as he walked past Jaehyun.  
"You two got real close, real fast, Tyongie" Jaehyun hummed, smirking and Taeyong shoved him as he walked past the younger "Shut up Yoonoh".

"I made beans on a toast. I'm not the best at cooking but it's to not starve anytime soon" Jaehyun said as he walked up to Yuta who went into the room the taller was in previously. "Thanks" Yuta muttered and turned to Jaehyun to give him a smile. Jaehyun nodded and gave both Taeyong and Yuta piece, before grabbing one himself.  
"Any news on Neo?" Taeyong suddenly asked around mouthfuls of food and Yuta's ears perked up.  
"No, I tried reaching them but to no avail" Jaehyun responded with a sigh. Yuta was obviously curious as to what the two were talking about but didn't want to be nosy, so he kept quiet.  
"Are you sure we don't need a new radio or walkie-talkies?" Taeyong asked but Jaehyun shook his head "I think we're too far away for them to reach us. We'd have to get closer and hope that it's within wavelength" Jaehyun muttered, putting down the food.  
"Alright, we're leaving tomorrow morning, then. Pack all the food. Yuta you'll help me pack the weapons" Taeyong said, not even halfway finished when he stood up.  
Yuta nodded and hummed when Jaehyun nudged him "I'll give you a bag, come with me" he said and Yuta followed the other as Taeyong disappeared in the basement.  
"May I ask where we're going?" Yuta asked timidly once Jaehyun and he were all alone. Jaehyun seemed nice and trustful.  
"Do you not know what Neo is?" Jaehyun asked, turning to look at Yuta. The smaller shook his head, eyebrows knitted in confusion.  
"Have you..how long have you been alone, Yuta?" Jaehyun asked carefully.  
"I-I don't know, it's been too long, I lost sense of time" Yuta replied, growing embarrassed.  
"And.. you've never tried communicating using Radios or something?" Jaehyun asked but Yuta kept silent.  
Jaehyun sighed with a sad smile and pulled the smaller into a hug "You're not alone anymore, okay?" he said, drawing soothing shapes into the other's back.  
Yuta felt heat crawl through his body at the sudden hug. Wrapping his arms around the other's neck, he hugged back when suddenly-  
"Get in, Lovebirds, I made food" came a mocking voice.  
"That's not what I sound like" Jaehyun chuckled as he let go of Yuta.  
Yuta somehow didn't dare to look at Taeyong who caught them in such an intimate moment.  
"Come on, Yuta, we don't have all day" Taeyong said, voice sharp and cold and Yuta followed the taller while avoiding his gaze.


	2. Chapter two.

It was the next day when Yuta woke up on something rather soft - which was new to him. He was used to sleeping on floors and grounds, this was completely unusual. Stirring awake he looked around. He caught Jaehyun staring at him while sipping on a cup of coffee. "Wakey wakey" Jaehyun hummed, cracking a small smile.

"Morning" Yuta mumbled. He sat up and knitted his brows in confusion. He doesn't remember ever moving onto a mattress, he was laying on the ground with the blanket he had stolen from the store.

"I moved you there" Jaehyun said "You looked stiff" he added, chuckling.

"Thank you" Yuta whispered "didn't you sleep here, though? And where's Taeyong?" Yuta asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"I didn't sleep for too long and Tyong went to the store to get a few more things. You should change, we'll be travelling a lot" Jaehyun said before standing up.

"Do you want coffee?" Jaehyun asked as he made his way to whatever was left of something that was once a kitchen. "Yes, please" Yuta stammered and got onto his feet. He looked through the various clothes he had collected over the past time. Picking up a black (oversized) sweater and black skinny jeans that might as well have been meant for women, he put them on, caring very little about the shape, size and gender. He washed his face and brushed his teeth with the little amount of water they had.

 

"Get ready, we're leaving" Taeyong yelled into the hallways and Jaehyun walked in sight with a big bag. "Food's packed" he said, dropping it in front of Taeyong who growled impatiently. "And where's Yuta?" he said with knitted brows to which Yuta ran in. "Sorry, I got water as well" he said, wheezing as he carried the heavy bottles. "Did you check all rooms?" Taeyong asked Jaehyun who nodded. "Yes I did, we left nothing behind" he said.

"Alright. Here's the plan, we will walk as long as the sun is up and once it's night-time, we'll find a place to rest at. Have the weapons ready at all times and most importantly, be silent" Taeyong said as he propped up his own bag onto the shoulder "Got it?" he asked as he looked at the two "Don't worry Tyongie" Jaehyun hummed and walked out, leaving Taeyong and Yuta in the hallway "Got it?" he repeated, softer this time and Yuta nodded.

 

Carrying an unreasonable amount of water as one walks around in the glaring sun doesn't sound so promising. Carrying an unreasonable amount of water as one walks around in the glaring sun and not being allowed to make any noise, however, Yuta decided, was worse.

He wanted to scream and cry, it was unbearable and Taeyong's stamina and willpower were making things worse. Taeyong allowed very little breaks and Yuta looked like a complete mess; sweaty, red and with a pained expression. He tapped the other's shoulder gently with pleading eyes and Taeyong's gaze softened.

Or it didn't and Yuta was beginning to hallucinate because Taeyong ordered Yuta to walk faster (which is when Yuta mentally confirmed that Taeyong was most definitely a sadist).

Jaehyun, on the other hand, pitied the smaller, occasionally carrying Yuta's bottles or giving encouraging smiles. Taeyong and Jaehyun were worlds apart, Yuta thought and yet somehow the two worked well together.

"We're taking a break" Taeyong soon announced and oh- Yuta dropped onto his knees "Thank fuck" he wheezed as he rolled onto the ground, exhausted.

"I'm gonna check how far we've come" Jaehyun said and sat down on a bench nearby, opening a map he had packed as well.

"Didn't you once say you'd fight zombies with bare hands? But you can't carry a few simple bottles? Funny" Taeyong tsked as he stood right above Yuta, casting a shadow onto the other.

"How many times are you gonna bring that up?" Yuta asked, squinting at the taller.

"I'm never letting go of that, princess" Taeyong responded with a smug grin "Where are we going anyways?" Yuta asked, closing his eyes. Taeyong studied the smaller for a bit, before sitting down onto the ground next to the Japanese male "We're joining Neo, a group of 18 people who built a survival camp. They apparently have this huge wall as a barrier that keeps the dead outside. Inside they supposedly have farms for food and accommodations to sleep at. Neo is welcoming anyone, they communicate via Radio stations and Walkie-Talkies, the only functioning things left" Taeyong explained as he watched Yuta's face light up in curiosity "They built walls? Like in Shingeki no Kyojin? That's cool, I wanna join" he said, excited as he opened his eyes to look at the taller. Taeyong snorted "Sure, like in shingeki no kyojin if you will".

 

"Alright, I know which way to go" Jaehyun said as he walked up to the two "but I suggest we look for a place stay at for the night" he added and looked at the sun that was slowly but surely setting "Jaehyun's right, get up, we're looking for a place" Taeyong said sternly and Yuta already missed the playfulness that Taeyong carried just now. Getting up with a grunt, Yuta followed the two, looking around as well. Soon enough they found an abandoned building that was still somewhat safe to walk in. There were also no Zombies in sight, which was a plus.

Taeyong entered first, holding his weapon close as Jaehyun and Yuta followed silently "I'll check upstairs, Jaehyun, you check in the basement and Yuta, you check this floor as well as the garden" Taeyong ordered and left his bag in the hallway as he went upstairs. Yuta sighed and pulled out the weapon Taeyong had shown him how to shoot with "Be careful" a soft voice startled him. Jaehyun laid his hand on Yuta's shoulder, looking the smaller deep into the eyes "If you need help, call me and i'll come" he offered and Yuta smiled gently "Thanks, Jaehyun, the same goes for you" he replied. Jaehyun gave the other a small smile, before disappearing into the basement. Yuta sneaked into the living room. It was messy but there was nothing suspicious. Walking into the kitchen, he felt sickness crawl up his body at both the smell as well as the sight. There was a lady on the floor, face first with a kitchen-utensil in her hand. A pool of blood sprawled out right next to her head but there were no bite marks whatsoever. Yuta walked up closer to the body "Hello? Lady?" he whispered and, sure, Yuta knew it was pointless, the woman wouldn't suddenly turn around and greet him but Yuta was lost, he didn't know what to do "Are you.. uhm. Alive? No? I mean you can't talk so-"

"Hey!" came a deep voice and Yuta froze "What are you doing in my house, you thief?" the voice asked and Yuta slowly raised his hands in the air as he felt a gun pressed against his head "I-I'm sorry, Sir I-"

"Leave him alone!" Jaehyun suddenly appeared with his gun pointing towards the stranger that had Yuta hostile. The stranger grabbed Yuta by the hair, gun pressed against the temple as he forced the smaller onto his knees "Come closer and your little friend is dead" the stranger threatened and Jaehyun looked helpless. Holding the weapon tightly, he furrowed his brows and gulped "Look, old man, we don't wanna harm you nor steal anything, we're looking for a place to stay-"

"Those are lies! All lies! Your colleagues took everything! I know what your plan is, I've seen through you and your gang! First you take my food, money and wife and then you take my house, but I won't let you, you punks, not over my dead body" the elderly male yelled, voice shaky and Yuta assumed the man was crying, grip on Yuta's hair loosening as his hands began trembling "My daughter was supposed to graduate this year, you assholes-" the man’s voice cracked and Yuta felt his heart wrench "Sir, I think you're mistaken, we've never been here before. I am sorry for your loss, really, we're just looking for a place to sleep at" Jaehyun said, slowly laying the gun down and the man broke down in tears, sobbing loudly. "They took everything" he said, the gun at Yuta's temple disappeared and landed on the ground. In between sobs, the man managed to speak up again "I'm sorry for scaring you I thought you're one of them a-"

 

A gunshot.

 

Yuta's eyes widened as he felt weight fall onto his back. Time suddenly felt agonizingly slow. He took shallow breaths. Ears ringing and hands shaking, he turned to the side to see the very same man with a bloody face.

Yuta felt sick, Yuta felt so sick, he could barf, his heart was hammering vigorously against his chest and his face had significantly paled.

Yuta looked up into Jaehyun's eyes who had an equally horrified expression.

He wanted to speak up, say something, help the man but Yuta's voice was gone.

 

"Dumbass thought we're rats" Taeyong said indifferently as he shoved the man off of Yuta's back as if it was nothing. The body hit the floor with a thud and Yuta winced.

"What did you do?!" Yuta whispered as he slowly turned to look at the other who wiped off the blood on his gloved hand on his black jeans "I saved you again, now get up" Taeyong said, eyes cold and Yuta felt tears dwell up "You didn't save me, Idiot, you killed an innocent man!" Yuta said, anger boiling up in him "Don't raise your voice on me, Yuta, the man threatened to kill _you_! You should be thankful I found your sorry ass in that store in the first place, you could have died so many times already, if it wasn't for me, got it?!"Taeyong snarled. Staring at Yuta who wordlessly looked into Taeyong's eyes while shaking his head slowly. Taeyong stormed off.

Walking past Jaehyun, he muttered "Upstairs is clear, we're staying" at which Jaehyun nodded while looking at Yuta's disheveled state "Come on" Jaehyun said softly, offering a hand for Yuta to stand up but Yuta didn't budge.

Kneeling down, Jaehyun looked at the smaller and brushed some hair out of his face. Yuta glanced at the body beside him but Jaehyun cupped his face "Don't look at him. Don't think about it" he said and pulled the Japanese male into a hug.

Yuta felt the unshed tears roll down his cheeks but

 

His expression was empty.

 

It was late by the time Yuta and Jaehyun managed to go upstairs. Yuta calmed down a little with the taller by his side. Yuta was glad Jaehyun was with him, the other was truly an angel.

Once they reached the room Taeyong had said they'd sleep in, Jaehyun opened the door gently.

Taeyong was still awake, smoking and staring into the emptiness.

"You're still awake?" Jaehyun mumbled and Taeyong turned to look at the two. "Can't sleep" he muttered.

"Alright well, I'll go take a piss" Jaehyun said but Yuta tugged at his sleeve, eyes searching for the other's in fear of being alone with Taeyong. "It'll be fine" Jaehyun whispered and Yuta reluctantly let go. Jaehyun left and Yuta stood there, motionless, unsure of what to do.

"Why don't you sit down?" Taeyong said in that deep voice of his and Yuta wordlessly nodded and complied, sitting down onto the king-sized bed, keeping a great distance to Taeyong.

Yuta was still mad at Taeyong. Or was he sad? Or scared? He didn't know but whatever it was made him slightly uncomfortable.

The tension that had built up in the room was so thick, it was almost tangible.

Yuta swallowed the lump that had grown in his throat and played with his fingers.

 

"I was scared".

 

Huh?

 

"I was scared to lose you" Taeyong said and Yuta looked up to the other, brows furrowed in confusion.

"When I walked in on you, I didn't get to hear what he said. I only saw you at gunpoint and I didn't want to lose any more people, so I just shot him. I killed him" Taeyong added, voice thick of remorse.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry" Yuta didn't know who Taeyong was sorry for but he was sure, neither did Taeyong.

"I'm.. so sorry. I'm sorry. I've been beating myself up for it as well. I'm sorry" Taeyong croaked. "I killed him. I shot a man. I'm sorry" he rambled as he hid his eyes behind calloused hands. "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose anyone anymore" Taeyong said firmly with sad eyes as he turned to look at Yuta and Yuta felt his stomach twist at the words. Yuta was completely speechless. He stared at Taeyong in confusion and he wanted to say something, anything but somehow he was at a loss of words yet again.

 

And just like that they were sitting in silence again with Taeyong staring at the smaller male expectantly.

 

"I'm back" Jaehyun announced as he came back in without knocking. Startled, Yuta jumped a little and Jaehyun chuckled. "Sorry" he said as he sat next to Yuta with very little distance between them "Let's go to sleep, yeah? Today was an exhausting day" Jaehyun said and Yuta nodded gently. The Japanese male stole one last glance of Taeyong before laying down, trying to smother the arising questions, thoughts and worries.

 

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the dead bite" Taeyong whispered.


	3. Chapter three.

Waking up in a cold sweat, Yuta gasped for air. A nightmare. It was just a nightmare.

The Images of the man (who is very much still lying on the kitchen tiles downstairs) were haunting Yuta. Taking deep breaths, he tried calming himself. He looked around to find Jaehyun sleeping peacefully next to him on the king-sized bed. The taller somehow didn't find this any weird as it was the second night in which the two slept beside one another.

Yuta sat up to take a look at Taeyong who was supposedly sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Supposedly, because the elder wasn't there.

Furrowing his brows, Yuta stood up, careful, not to wake up Jaehyun.

Tiptoeing out of the room, he began looking for Taeyong, only to find the taller on a balcony Yuta didn't even know existed.

Stepping outside as well and hugging himself as the cold air hit him, Yuta spoke up, softly "Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked and Taeyong turned around.

"I said I can't sleep. I literally can't, Yuta, I have insomnia" he said and Yuta nodded "Won't you be exhausted tomorrow?" Yuta asked as he walked up to the other, leaning against the rail "Of course I will be. Why do you think I'm always so pissy? Insomnia can have a great toll on someone's state of mind, you know" Taeyong muttered, playing with the lighter "I do things irrationally because I can't think clearly, because my mind can't seem to rest" he added, brows furrowed and Yuta eyed the taller sadly "What do you do when you can't sleep?" he decided to ask and Taeyong frowned "Well, there's not much to do. I think a lot. Maybe a little too much and then I get way too into my head" he said, turning his body to fully face the smaller "You could wake me up and we could do something together. Being alone for too long can drive you insane.. I'd know" Yuta said, giving the other a lopsided smile but Taeyong shook his head "No, Yuta, you need to rest, really" he said as he grabbed the other's wrist gently, ready to pull the other back inside but Yuta didn't move "Please?" Yuta said with sad eyes to which Taeyong couldn't help but give in "Alright well... what do you wanna do?".

 

"It's pretty here" Yuta said as they entered the girl's room who priorly lived there. Taeyong hummed and sat down on the bed with the pink sheets, watching as Yuta looked through the girl's things.

Opening the closet, Yuta picked out a cardigan that he draped over his shoulders "Hm, I like this one, maybe i'll keep it" he said at which Taeyong grimaced "It's a women's cardigan" he said and Yuta twirled around to look at himself in the mirror "And? It's fabric, It's a piece of cloth" he said, looking at Taeyong through the reflection "Well, it isn't right for men to wear women's clothes" Taeyong replied and Yuta turned around "Did you get mentally stuck in 1990? Are you a vampire? Is that why you don't sleep at night?" Yuta asked mockingly and Taeyong grinned "I thought you lost that sassiness of yours". Standing up, he ran a hand through his black hair "I like you better like that, princess. You look cute when you're mad" he said and Yuta scoffed "I was hoping you forgot about that awful pet name you gave me" Yuta said as he feigned sulkiness.

"Well, it fits, doesn't it? You like wearing women's clothes, don't you? Why don't you put on a dress, lose a heel and wait for me to return it to you so we can have our happy ever after?" Taeyong said, all bark no bite and Yuta laughed "Are you implying something here, Lee Taeyong? Who said I'd want you to be my prince?" he asked as he poked the elder’s chest "You don't have much choice, do you?" Taeyong replied, looking at Yuta with hooded eyes "Well" Yuta hummed "I think I'd like Jaehyun better as my prince charming" he said and Taeyong snorted "You'd choose Jaehyun over me? After all those times I saved you? How many more times do I have to do that for you choose me, your majesty?" Taeyong asked as a smirk etched across his face "Hmm... two more times, maybe? Yeah, two sounds like a good number" Yuta said with a playful grin "Deal" Taeyong said and Yuta smiled smugly before sitting down onto the bed "Let's try falling asleep now? If you can't sleep, at least rest a little by laying down" Yuta suggested and Taeyong nodded, letting himself fall onto the mattress next to Yuta.

 

"Dream of me" Taeyong said.

"You wish" Yuta huffed.

 

"You weren't with me when I woke up".

"Oh... sorry, I kept Taeyong company" Yuta said as he entered the living room in which Jaehyun was sitting with a cup of coffee he had made. He didn't offer Yuta any.

"And why is that? I thought you two didn't get along that well" Jaehyun asked as he looked up from his mug "Neither of us were able to sleep so we killed time together and eventually nodded off" Yuta replied, sitting down on the couch as well. Jaehyun hummed "Did you sleep well at least?" he asked, setting down the mug onto the coffee-table "No, I had a nightmare" Yuta mumbled and Jaehyun looked at the other, gaze softening "Oh ... What was it about?" he asked and Yuta simply pointed in the direction of the kitchen "Oh.. Yuta, I'm sorry you had to see this.." Jaehyun said, scooting closer to the other and laying his hand on the Japanese male's thigh "It's okay, don't worry" Yuta said, flushing the slightest bit at the touch. Jaehyun smiled softly and stroked Yuta's thigh gently "By the way, cute cardigan. Do you want some coffee?“.

 

Carrying an unreasonable amount of Items as one walks around in the glaring sun doesn't sound so promising, Yuta had figured out that much just the day before. Carrying an unreasonable amount of items as one walks around in the rain and not being allowed to make any noise, however, Yuta decided was even worse.

5 hours in, Yuta was shaking from how cold and wet he was, teeth clattering and voice wavering, the Japanese male spoke up "How much more is left?" he half-yelled as the rain muffled the noise. Jaehyun turned around, "We haven't even crossed the river yet." he shouted, pointing at the map with trembling hands which was futile because Yuta couldn't recognize anything as the map was soaked. "We've walked one-fourth of the path, maybe less." he added and Yuta groaned "Can we take a break?" the smaller asked, whining to which Taeyong turned around "Where?" he asked and Yuta looked around.

His eyes suddenly lit up at a sight "Oh my god!" Yuta whispered with a bright smile. "Oh my god, let's go to the amusement park!" Yuta said, pointing towards it and hopping around excitedly like a child. Jaehyun giggled at that. Taeyong hummed, deep in thought but eventually spoke up. "I don't know if we should go there, it might be dangerous" he said and Yuta pouted (at which Taeyong felt his stomach twist). Yuta tugged on Taeyong's sleeve with the biggest puppy eyes he could muster. "Please, let's have some fun once when was the last time you enjoyed yourself? Come on!" Yuta whined and Taeyong looked away before muttering a small "Fine, but let's be careful" and Yuta suddenly didn't feel as worn down nor did the rain bother him as much. He began sprinting towards the entrance. "Wait for us!" Jaehyun yelled, breaking out in a run as well, closely followed by Taeyong.

 

Okay so the amusement park wasn't as close as it seemed. Yuta may also not have as great of a stamina either. He was heavily panting when he arrived at the huge entrance. The exhaustion was quickly forgotten as he entered "Don't run away from us like that, Yuu" he heard Jaehyun wheeze and he turned around to give the other a warm and genuine smile "Jaehyun it's so pretty here" he said softly and his eyes sparkled with excitement (and maybe- just maybe Jaehyun almost cooed at the sight) "Yeah, it's really pretty" the taller replied, not once looking around but rather fondly staring at the Japanese male. Taeyong caught up with them as well by then, patting Jaehyun on the back as he entered "So? Where are we gonna stay?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow and Yuta hummed, looking around as he rubbed his chin deep in thought "The castle?" he said or more like asked with a grin and Taeyong couldn't help the slight smile that crept onto his face "As you wish, my majesty" he replied as the three began walking towards the worn down medieval-looking palace "I also wanna go to the aquarium later and- oh! I want someone to win me a plushie!" Yuta said happily, skipping. Jaehyun laughed and nodded "Do you think there's food left? Like- candy and ice-cream? I haven't had that for so long" Yuta rambled, way too caught up in his own little world "There should definitely be food left" Taeyong muttered. The amusement park was more or less empty with an exception for a few bodies lying here and there which didn't faze the three, as they've seen worse already.

Arriving at the beautifully lit castle, they entered. It was obviously just empty rooms for the most part as it was not a real castle but the three had figured as much. Laying out the mattress and throwing his bag god knows where, Yuta walked (more like jumped) up to Taeyong and Jaehyun "Let's go eat" Yuta said, pulling the two by their wrists as he walked backwards "Careful" Jaehyun laughed as Yuta almost tripped.

Yuta picked up a map of the amusement park to look for the different restaurants the park had to offer. Choosing the closest, they made their way towards it.

"There's absolutely no one here" Taeyong muttered as they walked and Jaehyun nodded "It's insane. I thought we'd come across at least someone... I mean, I'm sure this place was crowded once, look at all those rollercoasters and games" he said and the elder hummed.

Entering the messy and abandoned restaurant, the three looked around. Yuta and Jaehyun entered the kitchen, while Taeyong checked the storeroom.

"I found mac 'n' cheese" Yuta giggled, looking through some pots "don't put that anywhere near your mouth, Yuta" Jaehyun said, chuckling "It's been years, I'm sure" he added and Yuta hummed "doesn't look very appetizing either" he said, wrinkling his nose. "Guys, I found quite a lot" Taeyong called and the two went to the storeroom, only to gasp "Holy shit" Yuta mumbled "We hit the jackpot" Yuta said, grinning and Taeyong nodded.

"Check the dates before you consume anything" Jaehyun said, looking at numerous cans and boxes. The three grabbed a dozen before going back to the cantine's dining area.

Digging in, Yuta noted, that it barely tasted like anything, he wasn't quite sure what he was eating anyways, but it was food and it didn't look too bad. They didn't have many options anyways.

Eating silently for a little as they were all hungry, Yuta suddenly spoke up "Why don't we stay here?" he asked around mouthfuls of food and Taeyong looked at the other with a raised brow "What? No" he said, confusion lacing his voice.

"I mean, think about it, there's more than enough we can do here, there's food and we can live in a castle! In a damn castle!" Yuta said, laying down his food but Taeyong knitted his brows "Yuta, this isn't safe" he said "Neo is much safer and it promises a future" he added but Yuta frowned "I like it here better, though" he mumbled and Taeyong straightened up "You haven't even seen Neo yet" he argued and Yuta hummed "Well- if we can't find Neo, can we come back here?" he asked and Jaehyun chuckled "We'll see. Let's look for Neo first, yeah?" he said and Yuta nodded, satisfied.

"Alright well, we'll have to prepare for the night as well as the following days in which we'll travel" Taeyong said "We'll stay here for two days at most to gain energy and then we leave, got it?" he asked and Yuta thought the other would make a great Leader "Yes, sir" he yelled as he sprang up to his feet "Can we go to the aquarium, though?" he asked, smiling and Taeyong almost (almost) laughed at the other's behavior "Yes we can" he said and Yuta grinned like an idiot. Jaehyun laughed and muttered a small "Cute" and Taeyong almost didn’t catch it but he did and it made his stomach churn oddly.

"The last one to arrive there is old and crusty" Yuta said, running away, laughing.

"It's like this place was made for him" Jaehyun commented "He's just as childish and joyful as this once was supposed to be" he added and Taeyong hummed in agreement.

 

"What is it with you running around a lot today? Earlier you wanted to desperately take a break" Taeyong said as he reached Yuta who had found the aquarium "I love this place, that's all" Yuta hummed with a soft smile "Let's go in?" Yuta asked and offered his hand for whatever reason and who is Taeyong to decline? He took the other's small hand in his and Yuta walked in "I hope you don't mind, it's kinda dark in here" Yuta said shyly as he squeezed the other's hand, signaling what he meant and Taeyong smiled brightly for the first time in a while, unable for anyone to see, because of how dim it is "I don't mind" he said softly, squeezing back.

"Where is Jaehyun, by the way?" Yuta asked as he looked around and Taeyong's smile wavered for a little "He- uh, went to the bathroom. He'll come here in a second" Taeyong said, looking at the different fish with a frown. Fucking fish, don't know what it's like to live like this.

"Oh, Taeyong, look" Yuta gasped, pointing at a particularly big fish "This one's the prettiest in the whole aquarium," the smaller male said, smiling gently and pointlessly waving at the fish (completely ignoring the tanks in which the fish were floating motionlessly). Taeyong disagreed, looking at Yuta, he decided that the Japanese male was the prettiest in the aquarium. He might as well have been the prettiest in all existing aquariums, Taeyong thought but he didn’t say anything.

They walk in deeper where bigger glass walls were and Yuta gasped at the sharks and other big fish he didn't mind looking up "How do you think they survived?" Yuta asked Taeyong, turning around and Taeyong looked the smaller into the eyes "I once read that sharks can survive for a long time without any food. Besides the shark might have eaten the smaller fish" he said, amazed at how the apocalypse didn't seem to affect the animals "That's incredible" Yuta whispered and Taeyong smiled softly. Despite the blue hue and lack of light, Taeyong thought Yuta was gorgeous. He knew all along, of course, but somehow the feelings suddenly bloomed inside of him, he didn't know why or how but he couldn't deny that he was somewhat attracted to the younger.

 Neither did Taeyong know whether or not it was a crush or something platonic as he had not felt anything towards anyone in a long while; he had forgotten what it was like.

 

"There you are, oh my god, I looked through the whole aquarium to find you" Jaehyun suddenly appeared and Yuta felt Taeyong's grip tighten "Jaehyun! Look at all those fish" Yuta said, letting go of Taeyong and oh- Taeyong felt his heart constrict. Jaehyun laughed and went up to the smaller as Yuta began rambling about what he's already seen. Taeyong looked at the fish again.  Fucking fish.

 

It was later that day that Yuta wanted to go get a plushie which Taeyong thought of as unnecessary but he didn't voice it. Instead, he insisted go with Yuta while Jaehyun said he'd go rest, as he was tired. Taeyong was tired too but he knew better than to try and fall asleep as it was rather futile. He was an insomniac after all.

That said, Taeyong and Yuta were on their way to the game halls. It was getting dark already and Yuta had completely lost track of time "I wonder what time it is, it's already pitch black" Yuta said and Taeyong smirked. "What? Are you scared of the dark? Need me to hold your hand again?" the taller asked mockingly and Yuta smiled smugly "Fuck you" he huffed "I obviously asked you to hold my hand because you'd get lost otherwise" Yuta said and Taeyong chuckled "Is that so? Why won't you hold my hand now, then?" Taeyong asked, challengingly and Yuta furrowed his brows, grabbing the elders hand harshly and squeezing it hard to which Taeyong winced "Like that?" Yuta asked, grinning mischievously but Taeyong began squeezing back, harder and Yuta had completely forgotten just how much stronger Taeyong was (which is impossible to forget as Taeyong had manhandled Yuta more than not). Yuta whimpered loudly and tried twisting and pulling his hand away "Like that" Taeyong growled, "Ah- stop, stop, I was kidding, Taeyong!" Yuta whined and Taeyong chuckled, loosening the grip but not letting go "Don't test me, princess" Taeyong said, smirking and Yuta scoffed. And just like that, they were back to their playful bickering.

 

The two had spent some time in the game hall and Taeyong won a plushie (Yuta said Taeyong wasn't allowed to simply steal it, he said it wouldn't be as meaningful and so Taeyong tried to catch the plushie. 32 times) which Yuta then called Rapunzel. Taeyong didn't really understand why but it must have meant something because Yuta got a little emotional. Taeyong didn't ask.

Instead he suggested they'd do something else, something fun because seeing Yuta sad really hurt Taeyong somehow.

"How about this?" Taeyong pointed at a carousel as they walked around hand in hand (Taeyong hated how something so simple made him feel so much, he hated how much of an effect Yuta had on him). Yuta looked at the carousel, walked towards it and caressed a porcelain-horse gently, plushie still very much clutched against his chest "It doesn't work" Yuta sighed and Taeyong hated how sad Yuta had gotten.

He decided to change that. Walking around the carousel, he looked for some type of switch or a button, anything that would set this thing in motion. Yuta eyed Taeyong in confusion when suddenly Taeyong bent down, groaned as something clicked and- oh.

"Taeyong" Yuta whispered, looking at the lights that suddenly lit up "Taeyong, you turned it on?" Yuta asked, hugging Rapunzel close and Taeyong stood up, walked up to Yuta with a gentle smile as he offered the smaller a hand "Your majesty?" Taeyong bowed, waiting for Yuta to lay his hand in his own and Yuta did. Taeyong guided Yuta to the horse and Yuta felt his heart beat faster. He got onto the horse and Taeyong sat behind him, chest pressed up against the smaller male's back "Is that okay?" Taeyong asked as he wrapped his arms around the other's waist and Yuta's face flushed entirely.

"Yes" Yuta whispered and Taeyong chuckled softly as he watched the other's ears turn red.

The carousel began making its rounds while a soft melody played in the background and Taeyong hugged Yuta closer.

"How come you haven't smoked today yet?" Yuta suddenly asked and Taeyong looked at the other, humming "I mostly smoke when I'm stressed or pissed" he said and Yuta nodded "How come you're not stressed or pissed then?" Yuta asked, giggling.

"You haven't been annoying me as much" came Taeyong's reply and Yuta huffed, laughing "What? I'm not annoying anyways" he protested and Taeyong pinched the other's waist to which Yuta squealed "You're very annoying, princess" he said and Yuta kicked the other's shin "Fuck you" he chuckled "Careful, Yuta, I'm stronger than you" Taeyong warned playfully but Yuta kicked him again "Alright that was the last straw" Taeyong said as he lifted Yuta off easily by the waist. Yuta thrashed and yelled for Taeyong to let him down but Taeyong didn't listen. Taeyong carried Yuta near a wall and set him down but quickly pinned the other against said wall. Yuta tried wiggling out of the other's deadly

grip as he breathed heavily but to no avail "End me with your bare hands like you would end a zombie" Taeyong muttered, smirking and Yuta's face paled "I'd rather end a zombie" Yuta whispered and Taeyong was about to taunt him some more but Yuta's face in horror confused him until Yuta pulled the other close "Taeyong, there are zombies behind you, don't be loud" he whispered and Taeyong pulled away with widened eyes. He slowly turned around and oh-

There were a dozen, if not more. The sound of the carousel must have lured them in. Taeyong gulped and reached for his gun only to notice that he had none "Yuta, stay behind me" he said as his voice wavered and it was the first time for Yuta to see Taeyong nervous. The two began walking along the wall to possibly flee as they carefully watched the dead walk around aimlessly when suddenly Taeyong pushed over a trashcan which resulted in a loud noise "Shit" he hissed as the zombies averted their attention. One zombie, in particular, let out a screech as he lunged towards the two "Yuta, hide!" Taeyong yelled as he kicked the zombie's chest. "I can defend myself" Yuta yelled back and Taeyong grunted "This is not the time to argue" he shouted as he tried holding back two zombies now, one of which had his jaw wide open, ready to attack. Yuta shoved his precious Rapunzel into the hanging mouth and tried smothering the creature but another latched onto him and by then the two were surrounded with the dead. There were at least 20 if not 30 and Taeyong began panicking at this point, shoving and kicking away everything that tried to harm him. "Fuck, Yuta!" he yelled breathlessly among the ugly grunts and screeches the dead made "I'm sorry" Taeyong sobbed and Yuta felt lost as well- was Taeyong giving up? No way, this was Taeyong, he wouldn't just give up like that "I forgot about my gun, I forgot about my fucking gun" he yelled and his voice cracked as he held back more and more bony and rotten hands "No, Taeyong, keep up" Yuta said, trying to sound confident but his voice betrayed him "Yuta, I'm sorry" Taeyong yelled and Yuta began growing irritated "Taeyong are you giving up?! You out of all people?!" Yuta shouted "I'm sorry" Taeyong replied, arms growing weak as a zombie pushed itself onto Taeyong when suddenly shots were heard as one after the other zombie collapsed. Yuta held his eyes closed, too scared to watch.

The grunts and screeches were gone and instead all that was heard were heavy boots slowly walking up to the two. Yuta slowly opened his eyes only to find a gun pointing at him "What the fuck are you two dumbasses doing on our territory?" The stranger asked with a frown, walking up closer to Yuta "Don't fucking harm him" Taeyong suddenly growled and the stranger chuckled "Isn't that cute, trying to protect your little boyfriend, huh?" he asked, grabbing Yuta by the hair and holding the gun to the Japanese male's forehead firmly "Now answer my question, what are you doing on rats' territory?" the stranger snarled and Taeyong clenched his fists "This amusement park isn't yours" he said but the stranger didn't budge "We decide that and if we have to, we'll kill you to claim what is ours" he said and Yuta figured this is who the man in the house they were previously in mistook them for. Those are the infamous rats."You two either leave the damn park or one of you dies. Or.." the strangers eyed Yuta "You could become rats’ little toy" he heaved an ugly laugh and Taeyong was fuelling "Take your disgusting hands off of him" he snarled and the stranger grew angry as well "Or what?! You're gonna shoot me with your non-existent gun, you fucking failure?!" he yelled, looking at Taeyong. Yuta took the chance, grabbing the gun and kicking the other in the crotch. The stranger shot but the bullet only grazed Yuta's leg to which Yuta hissed in pain. Taeyong kicked the stranger in the head, who rolled onto the ground, tore the gun away and hugged Yuta close "Fuck, Yuta, are you okay?" he asked and Yuta nodded, eyes squeezed shut as he lifted his injured leg, hoping it'd hurt less if he didn't put any pressure on it.

Taeyong looked back to see what the rat was doing only to find him trying to talk to another member using a walkie-talkie "Here's 24601, I am near the game-halls, injured, there are-" Taeyong kicked the device away and stood with each leg on either side of the rats' torso, gun pointing at the other's head "finish the damn sentence and you're dead" he warned and the stranger kept silent "You never saw us or our faces, you were attacked by zombies and none of this ever happened, understood?!" Taeyong spat and the stranger slowly nodded "We will leave your precious little territory but you're keeping your precious little mouth shut, got it?!" he added and the stranger nodded yet again. Taeyong smirked, stepped away and took the walkie-talkie "that's ours now" he announced and helped Yuta walk as the two left the stranger on the ground.

"Careful, princess" Taeyong said softly as he hugged Yuta's waist. "I'm sorry, I put us in this situation" he said and Yuta eyed Taeyong as they walked towards the castle. "It's not your fault. Besides, you saved me. Again" Yuta said, chuckling, trying to lighten the mood "No, it is my fault. Yuta, people died because of me previously too, I am- I overestimate myself a lot, I'm sorry" he said, apologizing again but Yuta frowned. There must have happened something big for Taeyong to be like this, Yuta was sure.

 

Arriving at the castle, Jaehyung rushed to them. "Guys, we need to get out of here there are-"

"Rats, we know" Taeyong interrupted and pointed towards Yuta's leg. "Holy shit, what happened?" Jaehyun gasped as he knelt down to look at Yuta's wound, gently caressing the Japanese male's leg.

"One of them attacked us but he's keeping his mouth shut. I got his gun and walkie-talkie" Taeyong said and Jaehyun stood up again. "We can't leave with Yuta injured, he needs to rest" Jaehyun said, concern lacing his voice but Taeyong shook his head. "We don't have much choice. Did you get anything from Neo?" Taeyong asked, changing the topic and Jaehyun's eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes, the radio waves reach this place, which means it's only around 60km away!" the dimpled male said, excited. "60 km means it'd take around 12 hours. If we walk 4 hours each day and rest in between, that'd make 3 days or so" Jaehyun added. "Well.. if we're able to walk properly, that is.." he muttered looking at Yuta's leg. "That's fine, i'll carry him" Taeyong said as if it was nothing and Yuta choked on his own saliva. "Excuse me? I'm a grown man, I weigh as much as you do, you can't carry me for 12 hours" Yuta protested and Taeyong scoffed. "Are you sure you're a grown man? You don't act like one, princess" he said and Yuta looked Taeyong into the eyes. "I mean it, Taeyong, I am being serious, you can't carry me for this long" Yuta said, voice soft yet firm.

"How about we discuss that tomorrow? Yuta you need to rest, I think it's best if we stay here for the night" Jaehyun suggested but Taeyong shook his head. "Jaehyun, there are rats and zombies out there and the rats are definitely looking for us unless the one we caught isn’t a snitch" the eldest argued. "I'm aware and I can offer to watch out while you two sleep" Jaehyun said but Taeyong wasn't convinced. He thought for a little and responded. "I'll watch out" he said "I can't sleep well anyways. Take care of Yuta's wound, alright?" to which Jaehyun reluctantly nodded.

"Let's go to the restroom, Yuta, we'll take care of your leg there" Jaehyun said and Yuta nodded, pulling away his arm from around Taeyong's shoulder to hold onto the dimpled male instead. Taeyong felt his stomach twist unpleasantly at the sight.

 

It was late when both Yuta and Jaehyun finally had fallen asleep. Taeyong checked to make sure. Leaving the castle, he brought his gun with him. He also carried the flashlight he had stolen from Jaehyun, as well as the walkie-talkie. Taking out his pack of cigarettes, he put one in between his lips and lit it. Inhaling deeply, he slowly breathed smoke out as he walked into the direction he had memorized.


	4. Chapter four.

"Wakey wakey, sunshine" Yuta heard a soft voice mumble. Too tired to move or open his eyes, he grunted as a response. Jaehyun giggled at that. "Move your leg a little, so I can wrap it up in fresh bandages" he said and Yuta did, hissing as a wave of pain hit him which effectively woke him up. "Where's Taeyong?" Yuta asked as he looked around and Jaehyun stilled for a second before proceeding to take care of Yuta's leg. "I don't know, I guess he took a walk?" Jaehyun muttered and Yuta knitted his brows. "A walk? Is he mental? There are all kinds of things in this park!" Yuta said, both concerned and angry. "I'm not mental, thank you. And good morning to you too" Taeyong said, walking in on the two. "Where were you?" Yuta asked and Taeyong sighed. "Jaehyun, can I talk to Yuta for a minute?" he asked. "Sure" Jaehyun responded but didn't budge, even though he was already done wrapping up Yuta's leg "Alone?" Taeyong added and Jaehyun huffed and walked out. "Close your eyes" Taeyong said and Yuta looked at him in confusion. "Why?", "Yuta just close your damn eyes, it's not that hard" Taeyong scoffed and Yuta's confused expression turned into a smug one, smiling at the other's antics as he slowly closed his eyes. "Arms out" Taeyong demanded and Yuta huffed but did as told. Suddenly, he felt something soft press against his arms. Opening his eyes, Yuta gasped. "Taeyong, you-" "It's not the same one I won for you yesterday, so I played again and got you this new one because you- well, shoved yours into the zombie's mouth" Taeyong chuckled as he scratched his nape and Yuta looked at the plushy. "But why?" he asked softly and Taeyong looked at anything but the younger. "It seemed like rapunzel meant a lot to you.. that's all" he muttered and Yuta grinned brightly, opening his arms. "Come here!" the younger said, giggling and Taeyong's face grew a bright red. "What?" he sputtered and Yuta opened his arms wider. "I can't stand up to hug you, come here" Yuta hummed and Taeyong felt his heart hammer loudly against his ribcage. He got onto his knees and crawled towards Yuta. The smaller male pulled him into the hug, wrapping his arms around his neck as Taeyong's found their way around Yuta's waist. Taeyong inhaled the other's scent and closed his eyes. Yuta felt nice. He was soft and warm and he smelled like the concerning amount of floral perfume he uses every day. The elder tightened his arms around the other and buried his face in the crook of the neck. Yuta felt his cheeks grow warm at that, heart racing and head spinning as Taeyong hugged him almost possessively "Taeyo-", "One more minute, please" the elder interrupted and Yuta nodded. 

The two sat in silence for a little until Yuta spoke up "Rapunzel was the name of my dog..." he eventually said softly. "I- uhm I don't what happened to him... and seeing those fish yesterday and how they weren't affected by the apocalypse, gives me hope that my pup is still out there, alive, but.. I doubt it" Yuta whispered and Taeyong hugged him closer, drawing soothing shapes into the other's small of the back. "I miss Rapunzel" he added, voice thick with sadness and Taeyong nodded. "Let it out, Yuta, let it all out" Taeyong whispered and Yuta's dam broke. He started sobbing loudly as he told Taeyong all about his family and how he used to play soccer or how his mother used to call him Yukkuri which means «slowly» in Japanese, because he was a clumsy child; he let it all out and Taeyong felt his eyes sting as well but he bit it back 'Right now is about Yuta' he thought and held the vulnerable Japanese male close. 

This one more minute turned into fifteen but neither cared.

"Okay so, we'll be walking through a forest for the next two hours or so" Jaehyun said as the three were back on their journey to find Neo. Yuta insisted he'd walk on his own but both Taeyong and Jaehyun disagreed. They left behind the mattress and some water because Yuta wasn't able to carry as much anymore and the other two had to help him walk. Taeyong was currently clutching onto Yuta as the Japanese male limped while Jaehyun led the way with the map he took with him. "Be careful, we don't exactly know what happened to the animals and whether or not they're possessed too" he warned, entering the forest first. Taeyong and Yuta followed suit.

Upon entering Yuta sighed happily. The forest was, unlike the streets, not a mess and there weren't bodies or blood everywhere. It was just them and nature and Yuta loved nature. Well all of nature except for whatever had infected the people back in Yokohama. It was silent, there were no birds chirping but Yuta still had hope. He hoped that animals did in fact somehow survive. Not just because of his dog, Rapunzel, who he missed dearly, but also because they'd help in figuring out how it all had happened and how the infection can be stopped.

Lost in thoughts, Yuta looked around as Taeyong held him close. "It's so calm here" Yuta murmured. Taeyong smiled gently. "It is.." he replied. Taeyong somehow had grown kinder and softer, Yuta noted. No remarks, no teasing. Yuta wondered why but didn't dare to ask. "The sun is beginning to set" Jaehyun murmured, stopping in his tracks. "Either we stay here and make a fire or we walk around, unable to see properly with the possibility of something attacking us, undead or alive" he said, turning around with a concerned expression. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Yuta asked, holding onto Taeyong tightly and Jaehyun nodded. "I'll go get wood and branches and you two can find a good place lay down the mattresses and clothes" he instructed, brushing up his hair as his forehead had formed sweat. "Since when are you the leader?" Taeyong asked with a smirk and Jaehyun mirrored the expression. "Since you've grown into a softie" he said and turned on his heel, leaving the two on their own. Taeyong scoffed. "I'm not a fucking softie" he muttered, taking his hands off of Yuta's waist for the younger to stand on his own to maybe somehow prove a point. Yuta held onto a tree for balance and let the big bag he was carrying sink to the ground. 

It was an hour later that Yuta began worrying. Jaehyun hadn't returned yet. Taeyong and Yuta had prepared everything long ago, Yuta even made some food for the other to come back to energy.

And so they sat there in silence, waiting for the dimpled male to return. Unsure of what to talk about, Yuta began unwrapping the bandage around his leg.  
"What are you doing?" Taeyong asked, done smoking as he sat down next to the smaller. "Changing my bandages" Yuta muttered, not looking at the other.  
"Have you washed your hands?" Taeyong asked, grabbing a bottle of water. "No, we need to be careful with what we use the water for, we don't have much anymore" Yuta responded but Taeyong ignored the other's words, grabbing the smaller male's hands and pouring water over it. Yuta shrieked at the coldness. "Taeyong did you not listen to what I just said?! We don't have much water" he complained and the elder clicked his tongue. "We don't know whether the infection only spreads when being bitten, Yuta, it might be bacterial too, so you need to wash your hands, especially if you're touching your wound. I'd rather die of thirst than see you turn into one of them, got it?!" Taeyong growled, washing Yuta's hands. The elders touch was soft and gentle, contrary to his voice and facial expression and Yuta felt his heart skip a beat. Taeyong put the empty water-bottle away and held the other's hands in his own, caressing and rubbing the knuckles and individual fingers. "You can change the bandage now" Taeyong whispered as he stroked the other's soft skin with his thumb one last time before sitting back again. Yuta did as told all while trying to calm his breathing. "Is rapunzel with you?" Taeyong asked softly once Yuta was done and Yuta nodded timidly. He turned around and pulled the plushy out of his bag, hugging it tightly. Taeyong scooted closer to Yuta and caressed the stuffed toy. "I know you hope to see your dog again, well and alive and we're in a forest that is potentially full of animals" he began, as he traced the plushy’s snoot. "but I want you to be mentally prepared to be disappointed. I know nothing and neither do you, but the possibility for animals to have survived this is slim. I've looked into it, you know? If this is all a virus then it might affect some species only but if it's bacterial or fungal.." his voice trailed off and he looked up into the other's eyes, shaking his head slowly with pursed lips.

"Okay.." Yuta mumbled. "Thank you, Taeyong" he said, attempting to give the other a small smile but Taeyong huffed. "You're prettier when you smile genuinely" he said and Yuta felt his stomach twist and flip. Taeyong brushed some hair out of the Japanese male's face with fond eyes and a gentle touch when suddenly. "I told you, you turned into a softie" Jaehyun said, joining the two and Yuta almost jumped, surprised at the other's return. "Fuck off, Jaehyun" Taeyong scoffed, turning away from Yuta and standing up. Yuta immediately missed the other's warmth that radiated from the gentle touch. "Did you get branches?" he asked and Jaehyun let out a forced laugh. "No, I just walked around for an hour because I felt like it" he said, throwing the wood he had found that wasn't wet onto the ground. He squat down and made a neat circle with rocks and the branches before signalling for Taeyong to use his lighter. Taeyong did and occasionally blew for the fire to set off. Once it was all set, the three sat together and ate. Jaehyun suggested for them to sit closer so that they'd be less cold as the sun had fully set and it was pitch black out and so Yuta ended up sandwiched in between the two. 

"How's your leg doing?" Jaehyun asked after a while, caressing the wrapped up limb. "It's alright.." Yuta murmured and Jaehyun's hand traveled up, no longer caressing the injury but rather Yuta's thigh at which the Japanese male blushed. "From what I've heard, Neo has a doctor in the team. They'll take care of you and.. in the meantime I will, alright?" Jaehyun said, looking at Taeyong challengingly. "I will take care of Yuta too" Taeyong interrupted, voice gruff and Jaehyun let out a dry laugh. "Really now? Like how you took care of her?" Jaehyun barked back and Taeyong looked at Jaehyun, shocked. "Don't bring up the past, Jung Yoonoh" he warned and Yuta felt as though he wasn't meant to hear any of this as it was too intimate. "How about I do it this time? How about I take care? Last time you clearly failed" Jaehyun retorted and Taeyong stood up abruptly. "Jaehyun, you know I tried my best, you told me I shouldn't blame myself and yet here you are accusing me of this?!" Taeyong yelled, anger written all over his face. "Oh please, you like to blame yourself to get pitied, I bet you already pulled this move on Yuta, didn't you? You love to get all the pity and attention from him, don't you?" Jaehyun said, standing up as well, ready to lunge towards the elder. "Why are you suddenly like this, Jaehyun?!" Taeyong spat, hurt reflecting in his eyes. "You know exactly why, Taeyong. You and I talked about this" Jaehyung said, voice firm and Taeyong knitted his brows. "I didn't do anything" he replied and Jaehyun laughed again. "You want me to believe it? With how much time you spend together?" he asked, shoulders slumping and Yuta's eyes flickered between the two, confused. "Guys" Yuta spoke up and the two looked at the smaller, surprised, almost as if they forgot he was there. Jaehyun turned back to Taeyong. "You and I are gonna discuss this later" he said but Taeyong shook his head. "There's nothing to discuss" he said and Yuta tried again "Guys!" he said, louder this time and Taeyong sat down again. "Can someone please tell me, what the fuck is up?" he asked, brows furrowed in both confusion and anger. "Yuta, this is nothing that concerns you a-", "No, it's fine, i'll tell him" Taeyong interrupted just as Jaehyun began protesting. "I insist. Since you brought this up.. But I'd like to tell him all alone. Unless we're not allowed to be on our own" Taeyong sneered eyeing the dimpled male and Jaehyun glared at the other before scoffing and muttering a small. "fine". Standing up again, Taeyong offered Yuta a hand that the smaller took. Once he was up, Taeyong wrapped a secure arm around the smaller’s waist. 

Walking off into the woods, where they were all on their own again. It had gotten colder since it was dark out by then and the fire's warmth that surrounded them just minutes ago was gone as well, which had Yuta shake and shiver. Taeyong held the Japanese male closer, side flush against the other's as the elder tightened his hold and Yuta was able to smell Taeyong. He smelt like woods, cigarettes but also very much like himself. There was no way to pinpoint the scent, Yuta thought, he just knew that it was comforting. He liked Taeyong's scent and warmth. He liked much more than just that about the elder but he wouldn't admit. Soon enough, Taeyong found a big fallen tree trunk on which he let Yuta sink onto to sit. He plopped down next to the other with a sigh and closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts before speaking up. "The reason why Jaehyun would rather take care of you than let me is because I've fucked up before" he said, taking out his pack of cigs, before putting one in between his dry lips. "What happened?" Yuta asked carefully with a small voice and Taeyong sat still for, eyes flickering almost as if the memories played themselves out before his eyes. "We lost her- to uhm. Them. The dead. I didn't want to see her turn and Jaehyun insisted we cut off her arm where she had been bitten so it doesn't spread but I would never tear off my sisters limb" he said, cigarette still very much in between his lips as he talked. He had not lit it, though. "I wasn't paying attention.. It all happened so fast and.. because I refused to save her, she turned. It was all my fault.. I left. I didn't want to see her become one of them. I didn't want to so i ran away and Jaehyun was mad at me and- and the last few things my sister saw was me, running away from my fucking problems. Like I always would, because I'm a fucking idiot" he spat, tearing away the cigarette and throwing it onto the ground. He wasn't pissed or annoyed; he was sad, deeply so, Yuta noted. "Taeyong, it's understandable, no one would willingly tear off a family members body part.." Yuta said, trying to calm down the other but Taeyong scoffed. "I could have saved her but I didn't because I was selfish!" he said and Yuta stood up, wincing as pain shot through his leg. "You couldn't have and you know that! You were scared Taeyong and- it's fine to be scared. It's fine to be sad too, you don't have to hide it" Yuta said, approaching the other who avoided the smaller male's gaze. "I don't wanna seem weak.." Taeyong mumbled and Yuta cradled his face in his hands. "You're not weak. You're the strongest person I know. Both mentally and physically" Yuta whispered and Taeyong stared him deep into the eyes. 

The two looked at each other as silence surrounded them and Taeyong slowly pulled Yuta closer by the waist. "I'm sorry for everything that I put you through, especially the man the I shot... You shouldn't have seen that" he said, regret lacing his voice and Yuta melted at the other's soft voice. "It's fine really.. but.. What did Jaehyun mean by whatever it is that you've discussed before?" he asked and Taeyong's nearly expressionless face faltered. His face went red and he pried away Yuta's hands. "It's- It's nothing, we just made a stupid deal once" he said, looking away and Yuta frowned. "What deal?" he asked and Taeyong shook his head. "Nothing important, anyways, we should get back, no?" he asked, hurriedly standing up and offering a hand but Yuta didn't take the hand and instead stared at Taeyong with squinted eyes. "What deal?" he asked again and Taeyong held his breath before sighing in defeat. "We uhm.. made the deal to never get too close to another person as long as we don't arrive at Neo, because love more than not ruins plans. Back when it was the two of us, my sister and her friend, Jaehyun and I fell for my sisters friend and well- we fought a lot which not only disrupted our said plans but there was always this negative stigma and the competition, which we don't need if we want to work in a team" Taeyong said, staring at his feet as if they were the most interesting thing ever. Yuta hummed at that. "What does that have to do with me, then?" he asked and Taeyong choked on his own saliva, surprised at the question. "Nothing, now let's go" he said, walking off without Yuta, who stood there, motionless.

"Taeyong, I can't walk" he said and Taeyong cursed, coming back and picking up Yuta as if he was a sack of potatoes, throwing the smaller over his shoulder to which Yuta let out a wheeze. "We're never talking about this ever again, I told you too much anyways" Taeyong announced and Yuta laughed as he stared at the back of the other's head, noticing how red Taeyong's neck and the tip of his ears had gotten. "Fine".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go follow me on Twitter @yuucafae !! And please leave a comment, I love seeing your feedback ;;


	5. Chapter five.

"Why do rats claim places as theirs and harm people, by the way?" Yuta asked as the three were walking again. It was the next day and the sun shone through the branches of the trees as the wind had the leaves rustle; the weather was nice. "Rats are usually people who were criminals even before the whole infection thing happened. They broke out and now think they are better than both the dead and alive. They fear nothing and they are reckless" Jaehyun said, whose turn was now to help Yuta walk. Taeyong led the way, this is how the planned to do it after all, yet somehow Taeyong couldn't brush off the jealousy that hit him. "How's the healing doing?" he asked, averting Yuta's attention on himself rather than on Jaehyun. "Oh..it's okay?" Yuta said or more like asked as he was unsure. "I'm just glad the bullet only grazed me. I think it would be far worse if I had it in my leg" he said and Taeyong nodded, agreeing.   
The three strolled around for a while, took a rest in between because Yuta had complained and were then back to walking. Jaehyun led the way again because "Taeyong is incapable of using maps" or so he had said at which Taeyong scoffed. Yuta giggled which earned him a glare from the latter. 

"I think we're close. I'd say we're out of here in like 20 minutes" Jaehyun announced, sighing in relief. Yuta was about to cheer as he was exhausted but the cheer got stuck in his throat at the sight of something.  
"Yuta..." Taeyong called softly but Yuta ignored him staring at.. it with sad eyes. "Yuta, don't look" Taeyong said, gently grabbing the smaller by the jaw but Yuta pushed his hand away. "Yuta, I mean it, don't-", "Shut up" the Japanese male whispered, interrupting Taeyong.

It was a deer. An ever so majestic deer; tall and beautiful with brown fur, big, elegant antlers and mesmerizing black eyes. That's what Yuta imagined deers to be like, except this one was not. The deer limped, its eyes were a sickening milky white and the fur was far from a beautiful brown, it had taken on a green irritable hue. The deer was staggering around aimlessly, letting out grunts as if It was in pain as its jaw hung open, tongue rolled out like it was unable to close it.   
And Yuta? Yuta was sad, he was beyond sad. He also very much felt ill, his face pale as he watched the poor animal stumble around. Yuta stared at it and with sadness came anger as well. He was mad, mad at the world for letting this happen. It was unfair, it was so unfair, the animals did absolutely nothing to deserve this, no one did.   
He hated it, hated this whole infection and the loss and pain that came with it. He hated it with a passion. He could scream and cry, seeing an innocent deer rot in front of his eyes. A few tears rolled down his cheeks and slowly, the memory of his puppy, Rapunzel, came back up. His little Rapunzel who would greet the Japanese male excitedly every single day, his little Rapunzel who he spent the majority of his life with; all gone, taken by this ugly pest that invaded this world.

Deep in thoughts, he didn't notice Taeyong who approached him and hugged him tightly. Taeyong whispered sweet nothings into his ear but to no avail, somehow Yuta was unable to hear anything but the painful grunts of the deer. Yuta buried his face the other's crook of the neck, muffling the sobs that escaped his quivering lips all while Taeyong caressed his back and swayed from one foot to the other. Yuta calmed down after a bit and Taeyong pulled away to wipe off the remaining tears. "Let's get out of here, princess" he said softly and Yuta nodded. He felt his heart beat fast at the other's gentleness but he shrugged it off as he had other things on his mind. 

"Don't you wanna rest, Taeyong?" Jaehyun asked as he looked back to the other. Taeyong was carrying a sleepy Yuta on his back who apparently gets tired after an excessive amount of crying and, as cute as Taeyong thought that was, it didn't lessen the exhaustion that was very prominent in his face. "I do, can you find us a place?" he asked breathlessly and Jaehyun nodded. As mad as he was at the elder the day before, he couldn't deny just how much effort Taeyong puts into other people. Jaehyun decided he'll apologize when the time is right. Leaving the two, to look for a place with some sort of shelter or roof, as it looked as if it'll rain sooner or later, he walked off. In the meantime, Taeyong gently sat Yuta down onto the ground (god bless he had strong legs or else he would topple on top of the younger). Yuta was deep in dream-land, Taeyong figured, as even the elders irritating grunts didn't seem to wake the sleeping beauty. And a sleeping beauty he was indeed, Taeyong thought, as he looked at the other's soft features. Yuta was gorgeous, absolutely beautiful to the elder and he couldn't help but caress the other's face. "What are you doing to my feelings, Nakamoto Yuta?" he asked no one in particular as he brushed some hair out of the smaller male's eyes.  
Yuta sighed in his sleep and Taeyong felt a small smile creep up his face. 

"We're soon there, my Yukkuri" he said, deciding to claim the mother's nickname as his own. "Don't worry. I'll get you there all safe and we'll take care of your leg" he promised but his words fell on deaf ears. Taeyong sat back and watched Yuta's chest rise and fall steadily while waiting for a certain dimpled male to return.  
He looked around as they were no longer surrounded by just woods. It was obviously a mess but Taeyong had seen worse. His eyes soon landed on Jaehyun who was making his way back. "I found a place" he yelled from a good distance and Taeyong gave him a thumbs up before kneeling down to pick Yuta up, bridal style this time as the other wasn't awake and could not possibly jump onto the elder's back.

"There's a house nearby, I checked all the rooms and it seems fine. There's even some food left" Jaehyun said once Taeyong caught up to which he meekly nodded. They arrived at the place Jaehyun had found but the dimpled male failed to mention that it was a huge, expensive-looking villa. "Holy shit, Jaehyun, are you sure there's no one here? Rats surely already claimed this place as theirs!" Taeyong said as he craned his neck to look at the tall, breath-taking building. "Yeah, I checked every room- and trust me, there are many" he said, walking towards the gigantic home. "Come on" he said as he noticed the other hadn't moved from his place. Taeyong obliged as he held Yuta close. Upon entering, his jaw almost dropped. Big rooms, tall ceilings, expensive, shiny tiles and huge windows that gifted them with a view to an equally huge pool. There was an open kitchen and a dining table with at least 20 chairs. Wide, white stairs with golden ornaments led to an endless amount of rooms and Taeyong could only clutch Yuta closer as to not accidentally let him fall to the ground in shock "What the fuck" Taeyong said, breathlessly and Jaehyun chuckled as their voices echoed in the empty, giant rooms. "Yeah, crazy, right?" he exclaimed and the elder nodded. "Anyways, we'll be sleeping well tonight, there are big ass beds upstairs" Jaehyun informed as he began walking upstairs as if he already knew the place in and out. Arriving at a bedroom, Taeyong was once again baffled. The people who had previously lived here surely had one hell of a time. He slowly let Yuta sink onto the big bed and sat down himself. Laying back, he stared at the ceiling for a little before closing his eyes. "Fucking bless you, Jaehyun for finding this place" he said and the latter chuckled. "Well, it was hard to miss. Anyways, I'm going downstairs to get food. Need something?" he asked as he walked to the door. "No, I'll rest a bit" he said and Jaehyun nodded, leaving the room.

Taeyong turned to look at Yuta who was still very much asleep. "Someone's tired" he chuckled. Yuta grimaced in his sleep and Taeyong noticed the other's leg that was in an awkward position. Sitting up, he moved the other's leg gently and Yuta grunted in his sleep. Taeyong was impressed with just how little could disturb the other's slumber. "I think we need to change your bandage" he said but as he expected, the words fell on deaf ears again. "Fine, I'll do it for you" he said before crawling up to lay the other's leg in his lap. He rolled up the other's skinny jeans who he thought were making matters worse (but he also very much remembers the time Yuta refused to wear anything but. He said he was a fixed sign and didn't like to change things he liked, Taeyong didn't know what the younger had meant but it surely was something astrological. Yuta found an astrology-book in the previous house and had not laid it down since). Rolling up the pants all while trying to ignore the sleepy whimpers Yuta made, the elder carefully peeled off the soaked bandage. Yuta's wound was a wound in all it's form and yet somehow his in particular looked.. good? Like crimson paint on Porcelain white skin, unlike any other shudder-inducing wound at which you couldn't look. Then again anything looked good on Yuta. Or alternatively, Taeyong was a twisted sadist. 

Either way, Taeyong inspected the injury before getting up to get fresh bandages as well as a damp cloth. Coming back to Yuta who was still very much in his place with furrowed brows, he sat down to gently lay the other's leg in his lap again. He pressed the cold, wet cloth against the other's leg to which the Japanese male grimaced and whined. Taeyong watched his facial expressions closely. Yuta was cute, the elder thought, the little shallow breaths, the flushed cheeks, his plush lips that were pursed in a scowl; Taeyong thought it was all beyond cute and simultaneously, he thought it was unfair. It was unfair because somehow Yuta had him wrapped around his finger and Taeyong disliked how he'd act like a fool around Yuta sometimes and yet he embraced it because this was Yuta, after all and he could never blame the younger. The Japanese male's squirming tore him out of his thoughts and Taeyong began cleaning the wound carefully. Taeyong's ear perked when he heard the other mumble words. Stopping in his tracks, he listened closely, only to recognize the language as Japanese. Yuta was cursing in Japanese, Taeyong had seen more than enough Anime to distinguish that. More specifically, he had watched more than enough hentai, to distinguish that. Taeyong brushed the thought off as it was literally the most inappropriate time ever to be thinking about things like these (Although he did wonder, whether Yuta did sound the same as some anime boys he had heard). Pushing the idea to the back of his head, he wrapped the fresh bandage around the other's limb securely and lowered the jean-leg again. 

"There- all good" he said patting Yuta gently. Standing up, he decided to let the smaller rest and instead try and take a shower of some sort - that is, if the shower works. He closed the door as he exited and walked around the big halls to explore.


	6. Chapter six.

"Did you sleep well?" Yuta jolted upon hearing someone enter the room he was unfamiliar with. Heaving a big sigh at the sight of Jaehyun standing at the door with drinks and food, he frowned slightly. "Oh my god, I thought someone kidnapped me, I was so scared when I woke up" Yuta said, clutching his chest and Jaehyun laughed. "Sorry, we just laid you down to sleep and ate meanwhile. I brought you some" he said as he walked up to the other. Sitting down onto the bed, he handed the smaller male the stuff he had gotten. "How's your leg?" he asked as Yuta took the food with a small nod. "Better.. did you change my bandage while I slept?" he asked but Jaehyun shook his head. "He didn't, I did" Taeyong suddenly said, entering the room with wet hair and no shirt on. Yuta felt his mouth go dry at the sight. "Did you have a nightmare?" the eldest asked as he ruffled his soaked hair and Yuta choked out a "Not really... I did dream of my mother, though" and Taeyong nodded and then turned to Jaehyun. "What about Neo?" he asked and Jaehyun jumped onto his feet. "I will try contacting them, i think the radio waves should reach this place easily" he said, making his way out of the room, leaving the two on their own again. Taeyong sat down next to Yuta who was trying to look at anything but the other's toned upper body. "You should wash up too, I heated up some water" Taeyong said as his hand wandered down to caress the injury to which Yuta's breath hitched. "be careful with your leg and call me if you need help" he offered before standing up abruptly. "We're staying here for two days to get some rest to be fit enough for the last day. We'll be walking for half a day straight, prepare yourself mentally, okay?" Taeyong announced and Yuta nodded. "I'll be downstairs" the elder added before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Yuta grabbed the food Jaehyun had prepared and sighed. Soon enough they'd be in a safe place. No more zombies, no more dead people, no more dead animals. 

 

Hopefully.

 

"Holy shit, holy fuck- Taeyong!" Jaehyun yelled, practically running towards the eldest, almost knocking over a few things as he breathlessly shoved the radio into the other's face. "What the fu-" Listen! Fucking listen" Jaehyun interrupted and Taeyong did, furrowing his brows in confusion at the other's behaviour. He had just come downstairs to eat something, still very much shirtless when the taller stomped up to him, excited.

"This is an advertisement from Neo, Korea's first survival camp. Join us and our group to be not only be able to make it but also find a cure for this mass-infection. We're always looking for new members. Bring an ID and the essential stuff only. We don't tolerate guns and or other types of weapons. Our coordinates are-", "Fuck, pen, give me a pen, where's a fucking pen?!" Jaehyun rushed, searching through his nearby bag to hastily fish out his map and a pen, writing as the male voice in the radio announced the location. "Did you write it down?" Taeyong asked once the speaker had changed to another language, which he recognized as chinese. So the group was international, the eldest thought. Jaehyun nodded, heaving a big sigh. "We're close. We're so fucking close" he said leaning back and staring at the numbers on the map. Taeyong grinned, looking at Jaehyun. "We are," he whispered, finally feeling as though they're actually achieving something. "We need to celebrate this" Jaehyun suggested as he sat up properly again. "Didn't you get an unnecessary amount of alcohol from the store just a few days ago? With Yuta?" he asked, a grin etching across his face at the idea and Taeyong nodded, for once leaving the leader persona behind; he needed a break himself as well. "I'll go get Yuta, we're having a fucking feast".

 

And they did, they had more than enough food, since the previous owners left a good amount behind. It wasn't obviously a gourmet dinner and was mostly canned food but the three ate well nonetheless. Taeyong opened a bottle of wine, cigarette still very much in his mouth as he poured himself and the other two a glass. Gulping down the liquid in a concerning speed, he grinned and poured in some more. A glass therefore turned into two and soon enough the three had emptied the whole bottle. "Shit- I, oh I don't think I should've done that" Jaehyun giggled with a pained expression. Yuta let out an ugly snort as he watched the other close his eyes and lean back, face pale and hair tousled. Taeyong faked a coo. "Aw, is Jaehyun too young and inexperienced?" he said, mocking the other as he opened another bottle, taking a swig without bothering to use the cup. Jaehyun squinted his eyes as he lifted his head to look at the other. "Say that again, fucker, I dare you" he challenged, evil grin back on and Taeyong laughed. "What are you gonna do about it? Drink this whole bottle to prove yourself?" he asked and Jaehyun nodded, snatching away the wine. "Fuck you" he said before lifting the bottle and Yuta didn't know whether he wanted to stop or encourage the other. Either way, Jaehyun soon spat out some of the liquid with a disgusted expression. "Ah- nevermind, fuck" he grunted, holding his head. "Do you wanna go to the bathroom? Let it all out? I don't want you to get alcohol poisoning, at least not until we arrive at Neo" Taeyong chuckled, standing up to help the younger and Yuta admired just how steady Taeyong was, even after so much alcohol. 

 

It was an hour later, when Jaehyun passed out. Too tired and drunk to care, he fell asleep in the bathtub in which he had climbed in for no reason whatsoever. Taeyong and Yuta let him be and continued eating, drinking and laughing about their past. Yuta found out a lot of things about Taeyong that night. For instance, how the elder liked anime and that he wanted to learn Japanese just to be able to understand his waifus or whatever and so Yuta taught him some curse words since those were obviously part of the basics. "Anything else you'd like to know in Japanese?" Yuta asked after he had told the other how to tell another person to 'eat shit and die' and Taeyong nodded. His lopsided, drunk smile was suddenly gone and he looked at his own veiny and calloused hands. "How do I tell someone that I'm sorry I had caused so much trouble in a short amount of time, even though I very much like them and would rather kiss their face?" he asked, voice low and Yuta blinked. "That's.. very specific" he muttered and Taeyong looked up into the other's face. "Yuta, I know I've apologized a lot already, but... I wanted to help you survive, rather than making it more difficult for you" he said, brushing trembling hands through his own, disheveled hair and Yuta looked at him with sad eyes. "Taeyong, you didn't make anything more difficult- I .. if it weren't for you I would have either died or gone insane by now. I was alone for so long I-I'm happy we met" he said softly and Taeyong looked the smaller into the eyes. He took the moment to admire the other as soft, warm light illuminated his face. Yuta was beautiful, Taeyong knew that but somehow, the other managed to still knock out his breath over and over again. Yuta's big, sparkly doe-eyes, those plush, pink lips and the soft, porcelain skin just did it for him. Reaching out to hold the other's hand gently, Taeyong muttered a soft. "Can I kiss you?" and Yuta felt his face heat up at the request. 

"A-Are you sure? Wouldn't that break the rule?" he asked and Taeyong chuckled. "Fuck the rule" he said as his other hand reached out to caress Yuta's cheek. He looked him into the eyes, asking for permission and Yuta nodded without thinking much. How could he, either ways, he was just as tipsy as the elder, after all. Taeyong felt his heart skip a beat and he dove in, pecking the other's lips as gently as possible, almost as if Yuta was made of glass and could shatter any second. Yuta grunted in dissatisfaction as Taeyong pulled away. Yuta has not kissed a single soul in years and if that's all he's going to get, he'd get mad. Yuta was a 'go big or go home'-person after all so he looked Taeyong into the shy eyes with fierce ones before pulling Taeyong back in for a kiss by the neck. Taeyong was initially going to hold back to not possibly ruin whatever it is that they have but with Yuta hungrily asking for more, he couldn't help but let his inner animal take over. He kissed Yuta hard. Breathing raggedly through his nose as he held Yuta by the waist in an equally animalistic grip as he bit the other's lower lip. Yuta let out a small involuntary whimper and Taeyong grinned. He pulled the smaller closer, positioning Yuta on his lap with their bodies flush. He held the smaller male impossibly close as he pried Yuta's lips open to snake in his tongue. Upon kissing Taeyong openly, Yuta noticed the other's taste; Taeyong tasted like alcohol and cigarettes and somehow, Yuta thought that was hot. The two kissed each other as if starved, Yuta put his whole body and soul into it all while Taeyong devoured every little bit. One of the elder's hand soon enough sneaked up Yuta's sweater and Yuta shivered at the cold touch. Taeyong caressed the other's side gently and his hand soon moved up, more and more until with was at the other's chest. Yuta felt his body grow hot and he began squirming in anticipation to which Taeyong grunted. Taeyong guided the other's hips to move and create some type of friction which had Yuta moan softly into the kiss. Clothes were soon scattered around the room; They were moving fast, maybe a bit to fast when you put into consideration that the two met just a few days ago. But honestly, time did not matter to them as they've experienced more in just those past few days than the years before. 

 

To them things were timeless.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, please leave some comments or lmk what you think of it all so far on twitter @yuucafae :( thanks mwah


	7. Chapter seven.

"Good morning sleepyhead" was the first thing Yuta heard when he woke up the day after. His head was throbbing and he grunted and hissed as light entered the room. Taeyong had pried open the curtains and Yuta hid under the blankets. He didn't quite remember how he got into this bed particularly, neither did he remember most of the night but he decided he'd ask later. Rolling around, he noticed just how soft the blankets were. Something was odd, though, something about the blankets didn't feel right. He blindly pat around but found nothing until- "Wh-" he furrowed his brows. He was naked. Opening his eyes, he looked around in slight shock only for his gaze to land on Taeyong who was just in some simple boxers. Taeyong had opened the window to smoke. "I was scared I fucked you senseless, Princess" Taeyong said and Yuta felt his mouth go dry "Did we.." his voice trailed off and he tried articulating with his hands as he was too embarrassed to say it but Taeyong snorted. "No, don't worry, I was joking. We made out, though" he said casually and Yuta's face flushed. "You were very eager, which is why you took off your clothes but I didn't give in, although seeing you so desperate was very tempting... Both of us were drunk, especially you and I didn't want us to do something we'd regret" Taeyong said, smothering the cigarette on the windowsill and turning around to sit down. "Do you remember nothing?" he asked, voice laced with concern and Yuta looked into the other's eyes. "I- I remember the kiss but that's all" he whispered and Taeyong smiled slightly. "So you remember my confession too.." he muttered and stood up again. Looking down at Yuta, he smiled genuinely and the smile stirred something in Yuta. "I'll be downstairs if you need me, princess" he said and Yuta swore he had never seen Taeyong look at anyone with fond eyes like just then. He nodded dumbly and watched as the elder left. He took a moment to process it all. "I tried to.. sleep with him" he mumbled. "I can't believe I was so out of my fucking mind, this is embarrassing" he said into the empty room as he tugged on his hair in frustration. "I'm a fucking embarrassment" he muttered, face red as he slumped back into the mattress.

 

"Jaehyunnie, do you have any painkillers?" Yuta asked once he entered the kitchen (or what he assumes was once the kitchen. This part of the mansion was the only part that was ruined somehow. Perhaps someone left the stove on as they panically left?). Jaehyun turned around to face Yuta. Stirring his coffee, he eyed the smaller. "Drank too much?" he asked groggily and Yuta let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, you too?" he asked and Jaehyun snorted, nodding. The only one that seemed to not be as affected was Taeyong, because he entered the kitchen like any other day; stoical and cold - the leader persona was back. "We're going tomorrow early and we're leaving behind most weapons and food. Tomorrow's our last day and we won't need as much. Besides, we're not allowed to be armed if we want to enter Neo, so we're only carrying the minimal and getting rid of that, too, before we go in" Taeyong announced, Backpack in one hand while the other brushed back his black hair, revealing sharp looking eyes and stern, bold eyebrows and for a second Yuta thought he was experiencing a déjà vu. "We're packing" he said, throwing the bag into Yuta's unready arms. "We have more than enough time to pack, we have the whole day" Jaehyun argued. "Let's chill a bit? I found something in one of the rooms that might be fun" he added and Taeyong stood still, eyeing the other for a minute before nodding in Jaehyun's direction. "And that is?".

  
  


"Board Games?" Yuta asked around mouthfuls of food as they sat down onto the humongous couch to eat breakfast (Yuta whipped out his cupcake and poptarts). Jaehyun laid the games onto the chique table. "Yeah, boardgames. What else can we do that is fun?" Jaehyun suggested and Taeyong muttered a small "Get wasted" but both Jaehyun and Yuta quickly disagreed. Taeyong pouted (which is a rare sight, Jaehyun had commented) and the three began looking at the variety of games. "Oh" Taeyong suddenly exclaimed, fishing out cards with a sinister smile. "Let's play Cards against Humanity" he said and so they did. 

 

It was later that day when the Jaehyun decided to go to sleep early because he had apparently slept bad. Yuta and Taeyong wished the dimpled male a good night while packing the things they'd need the next day. Yuta was gathering the food and putting in the bag when suddenly Taeyong spoke up. "Yuta?" he called and Yuta turned around, drenched in sweat as he hummed. Taeyong cleared his throat and looked at his own feet. "Do you- uh regret it?" he asked, voice wavering and Yuta knitted his brows. "Regret what?" he asked, putting down the bread he held. Taeyong groaned and rubbed his face as it grew red. "That we made out.. do you regret it?" he asked, voice sharp, contrary to just now and Yuta gulped. "I- no. All I regret is, I barely remember it" Yuta whispered, equally embarrassed and Taeyong whipped his head up to look at the younger. He stared wordlessly before shuffling closely. "I- really? We can- uhm.. kiss again" he suggested, heart leaping in his chest. Yuta looked up as well, admiring the other's dark eyes that bore into his. Too afraid to respond with words, Yuta nodded and shyly layed his hand on the other's chest. Taeyong couldn't help the grin that crawled onto his lips as he wrapped his arms around the other's small waist. "I think I fell for you" the elder confessed, the words slipping out easily, somehow and Taeyong was shocked by his own words. Yuta's eyes widened but he didn't say anything; instead he just craned his neck and leaned in. The kiss was soft, gentle and raw with emotion. Taeyong didn't miss the fact that Yuta didn't respond but he sighed into the kiss nonetheless, relieved, that Yuta didn't regret the previous night. The kiss wasn't as wild and messy or as heated as their first but Taeyong loved it. He loved the others scent, the other's warmth and his lips - oh, his lips, god, Taeyong was already addicted. Yuta's lips were soft and plush and they felt like clouds but tasted like candy and rainbows. The elder held Yuta close, almost as if he was afraid to lose him. He breathed heavily, reluctant to ever stop kissing the smaller but Yuta soon pulled away, face red and lips swollen and if Taeyong hadn't confessed just then, he'd definitely do it now. The younger was sickeningly cute, Taeyong couldn't help the way his stomach twisted. 

He dove in again and Yuta didn't reject or move away, he kissed the elder back, just as passionately. The rest of the night went by just like that, they kissed, made out, breathed each other in and out and neither wanted to let go or stop. Just like the night before, though, they didn't go beyond that. Yuta was at one point seated in the other's lap again but there were no scattered clothes. Instead he fell asleep in the other's arms. Taeyong didn't want to move away nor reposition him, because he was scared of waking the other up. It reminded him of his own pup he once had and how he never dared to move whenever the furry friend fell asleep on him. Yuta was like Taeyong's pup, he had concluded. Except the younger gave off cat-vibes if possible. So, Taeyong decided to call the other kitty in his mind. 

  
  



	8. Chapter eight.

It was the day after; the calm before the storm. Everything seemed to go to well; They had found an insane mansion, food and will soon arrive at Neo. It's like the universe was finally giving in, Yuta thought. He had even developed some type of relationship with someone, which he had completely crossed out, thinking it was impossible since all that was left for him to do is survive. Yuta had given up on a normal life but with Neo in mind, he still wished for good things to come, especially romance. Yuta was a sap through and through, so he had a hard time accepting the fact that he'll never have a husband, dog and a cute garden when he was all on his own. Working alongside Jaehyun and Taeyong, though, had him rethink again. Maybe Neo will be his new little home? "We're leaving, did you check whether we have everything?" Jaehyun asked, interrupting Yuta's inner turmoil. Blinking at the other's words, Yuta quickly reminisced what the other had asked to briefly nod. "Yeah, we're good" he replied and Jaehyun squinted his eyes, staring the smaller down before humming, brows furrowed as he turned on his heel. "Taeyong, we're ready" he called out and Taeyong appeared at the front door, cigarette in his mouth as he cocked his gun with gloved hands. "Let's go" is all he muttered as he led the way.

 

This was it; this was their last day. They'd only walk in the burning sun one more agonizing time before they get to rest and live an almost normal life. During the numerous times the three were on their feet on the way to Neo, Jaehyun had told Yuta all about the rumours he's heard; Things like Neo's territory being as big as a small village or how they supposedly have functioning showers and warm water and are working on bringing back electricity with wind turbines which Jaehyun said was a good option because of low maintenance and high yield or something; Yuta didn't quite understand, but he thought it was exciting nonetheless. No more washing up in cold rivers for Yuta, how nice. Yuta loved nature, sure, but he'd rather not stride around half-naked in a forest and shower in a pool of water in which god knows what swims. "How many hours did you say, do we need to walk for?" he asked, as he felt his knees weaken with every step he took. "8 hours. We're not taking breaks" Taeyong huffed and Yuta knitted his brows. "No breaks? Are you insane? We'll collapse before we get there" he hissed, as he walked faster to reach the other. "I decide that, Yuta, you have no say in this, I've been looking for Neo for the past fucking decade, I lost people in the process, I don't need those shit breaks" the eldest snapped and Yuta was taken aback. Just the night before, he was so gentle with him, called him all types of pet names while he caressed him lovingly. Yuta stopped in his tracks, bringing Jaehyun to a halt as well because the dimpled male helped him walk to not put any more pressure on his injured leg. "What is wrong with you?" he whispered with an expression of shock and hurt and Taeyong turned around, cold eyes morphing into soft, apologetic one's. "I- shit, sorry, I didn't have much sleep and I get mood swings a lot" he said, closing his eyes in regret. "Taeyong it's fine, you're stressed. We're all stressed. Let's all just calm down?" Jaehyun suggested and Taeyong sighed, thankful he had the other, because whenever his whole role as the leader grew too big to deal with, the younger would step in and take over. They had their differences but that's what made them a good duo. "Yes, thank you Jaehyun" he said and then turned to the japanese male. "I should have told you sooner but side effects of insomnia are mood swings.. although, I'm sure you've already noticed" he said sheepishly as he rubbed his eyes and Yuta sent the other a warm smile. "Don't worry" he whispered. "Do you wanna drink something?" he offered, letting go of Jaehyun and reaching for his back. Taeyong didn't refuse and so Yuta gave him his _half-full_ water bottle. Taeyong gulped down a tiny bit, barely drinking any before giving Yuta the bottle back. "Let's take a break later? I don't wanna waste time" he eventually said and Yuta, despite his aching feet and the glaring sun, nodded Jaehyun agreed as well as he had no choice.

«Later» is a big term. No one knows for sure when exactly that is. It could mean 15 minutes later. Or 3 hours later. For Yuta, «Later» felt like the latter. He was slowly but surely going insane and he was certain, Jaehyun was close to breaking point as well. And Taeyong- well, he didn't know how the eldest felt. Taeyong was hard to read. The trembling hands gave away his inner battle, though. Every now and then Yuta heard Taeyong grunt or huff and he began walking funnily as well; his feet must have hurt and yet he didn't give in. He was too stubborn for his own good.

They were walking (read: more like dragging themselves) through a village. The village was, like everything else by then, dead and worn down.

Cars were in the middle of the street, some crashed some flipped over; the people must hectically tried to escape. Shattered window glasses, blood, lifeless bodies, Yuta had seen it all. But something that managed to knock him over every time was the smell.

The smell of dead bodies who have been in the sun for, well, god knows how long. It was disgusting, the whole infection was not only disgusting in the means of it being terrible, but it was also very gross to look at and to smell.

Covering his nose and mouth, he walked passed a car alongside Jaehyun when suddenly he stepped on something. Something or- perhaps someone. Whatever it was groaned and Yuta jumped in surprise. "Careful, careful, it's a zombie" Jaehyun whisper-yelled and pulled Yuta away but the creature was clinging onto Yuta's injured leg. "Fuck, my leg, fuck, Jaehyun" Yuta yelled and- alright so maybe yelling wasn't a good idea but it hurt a lot, it slipped out. Jaehyun tried kicking the zombie away but the zombie was stubborn, baring its teeth and opening its jaw inhumanely wide and Yuta shrieked. "Stop yelling!" Taeyong growled, striding over to the two and pulling on Yuta's leg which had the younger whimper even louder. "It hurts!" he howled. "Shut up!" Taeyong retorted, voice loud and crisp and oh- the situation was escalating. Taeyong repeatedly kicked the zombie in its face but to no avail. "For fucks sake" Taeyong muttered and pulled out his gun. "Taeyong, don't shoot the noise gonna attract more of them" Jaehyun warned but Taeyong was fed up and sleep-deprived so he fired and shot the 'thing' thrice until it's claws loosened around Yuta's injury. Jaehyun carefully lifted Yuta up and Taeyong noticed tears in the smaller eyes. "Fuck, fuck it hurts" he whined and Taeyong could tell why; the wound was twice its size by then. It was nasty and Taeyong could barely look at it but the whimpers the other let out were far worse, it tore his heart apart. "Yuta, Yuta, come on, it's okay, we'll wrap it up" Jaehyun murmured, trying to coax the other but Yuta was sobbing as he digged his nails into the other's back to somehow lessen to pain. His whole body was shaking and Jaehyun held him tightly. Taeyong felt his stomach churn at the sight. He shouldn't have felt jealous, his friend was helping Yuta only, after all, but he couldn't help it. Just as he was about to suggest that he should carry Yuta, something behind the dimpled male caught his eyes. "Jaehyun, watch out!" he yelled and Jaehyun ducked on instinct which gave Taeyong room to shoot. It was another zombie that had sneaked up to them.

"Taeyong stop shooting!" Jaehyun complained. "Excuse me? I just saved your ass" the elder growled. "And quit yelling, you're attracting more undead" he added as he saw some crawl out of their holes, cars and houses. "Me? I'm attracting them? Your shots can be heard miles away, Taeyong!" Jaehyun argued but Taeyong's nerves were blank. "I said stop yelling, you're yelling!" he spat, voice as loud as the other's which really didn't make anything any better, Yuta figured. "Both of you shut up!" he whispered but Taeyong narrowed his eyes at the smaller. "You have absolutely no say in this, neither of you do, I choose what's right!" the eldest retorted. "Oh, please, you claimed to be the leader yourself, no one chose you, you just think of yourself as much better and smarter-" Jaehyun began but Taeyong interrupted. "I saved you! I saved you both! Several times!" he yelled as he pointed at the two with his gun and Yuta winced. "You may have saved us but guess who you didn't save!" Jaehyun snarled, letting go of Yuta as he balled his fists with anger in his eyes.

"Don't bring that back up, I told you not to bring it up" Taeyong stepped closer, gun still very much pointing at Jaehyun and the dimpled male scoffed, pulling out his gun. "Since you only feel powerful with your shitty little toy gun, i think it's only fair if I pull mine out as well, no?!" he said, voice sharp as he pulled out his pistol, pressing it against Taeyong's chest, just like the other was and anxiousness began bubbling up in Yuta as he watched more and more zombies aimlessly walk in the direction of their voices. "Guys, please, please both of you calm down, they're everywhere" he begged as he limped towards the two, tears in his eyes at the pain and the distress. He gently pulled on Taeyong's arm but the eldest pushed Yuta away. "Fuck off!" he yelled and Yuta stumbled back and fell onto the ground, wincing loudly as he had twisted the injured leg. He looked up at Taeyong with confused eyes but Taeyong didn't budge.

"Yuta!" Jaehyun called out and pushed past Taeyong. Squatting next to the smaller male he gently touched the other's injury. "That's right, go, help him, feel him up while you're at it" Taeyong commented and Jaehyun was done with the other's complaint. "What the fuck are you talking about?!" he asked, turning to face the leader. "Oh, please, I see the way you look at him, the way you grope his thigh! Jaehyun we had a deal! No close relationships" Taeyong said, unaware of just how hypocritical what he just said was. "You're not one to talk, Taeyong, what do you do with Yuta whenever you two are alone, huh?", "That is none of your damn business, Jaehyun-", "As if you haven't broken our rule yet, you fucking liar!" Jaehyun spat and Taeyong cocked his gun. "Liar?! me?! Call me a liar again, Jaehyun" he shouted and soon enough they were completely surrounded by zombies. Yuta winced and groaned as he stood up. Jaehyun's hands shot up in worry but Yuta pushed the dimpled male away. "I said there are zombies, for fucks sake" he said. "Let's go, I don't wanna die yet!" he said but well- the universe had other plans for him for there was an ugly rotten creature right behind him, grabbing the japanese male's arm and Yuta yelped. "Yuta!" Taeyong yelled in worry as he glanced down at Jaehyun to ask for help but the younger was trying to fight off two zombies, who had straddled him, himself. "Fuck" he muttered. He had to get his bag to get the gun with the silencer or else it would all get even worse. Looking around he eventually spotted it; but because life was cruel, it had to be encircled by a horde of zombies. He heaved a big sigh and walked up, pushing away everything that ever so lightly grazed him. The dead were stubborn, clawing at Taeyong, pushing him and even attempting to bite him. One in particular almost did but Taeyong fought it off. Slowly but surely they were getting too much and Taeyong wanted to cry out, maybe yell for help but he knew better. It felt like a déjà vu, like it had happened before and the images of the day at the amusement park near the carousel flashed before his eyes. He remembered just how useless he felt and how weak he actually was without his weapon. In hindsight, Taeyong admired Yuta. "I can fight them off with my hands easily" he had said when they first met and although he doubted it, Yuta had proven it more than not. He did survive all on his own without a pistol or anything alike. He also did not give in the day they were attacked at said carousel.

 

Taeyong took a deep breath. He was the fearless leader, so if Yuta could do it, so could he. And so he did; using elbows, knees, hands, anything to keep off the dead, he fought his way through. Soon enough he was breathless and his limbs were growing tired but he had reached the back. With shaky hands he tore it open and whipped out the gun with the silencer. He let out a brief laugh before shooting every single zombie, one by one.  Sneaking a glance at Yuta and Jaehyun, he saw how the two had managed to fight off the dead as well. He shot some more. "Fuck off, you ugly creatures" he laughed, feeling his confident self again. Shot. he felt powerful. Another shot. Like he was reborn. Another shot. Nothing could stop him. Another Sh-

 

"Taeyong?" Yuta called as he saw Taeyong stand there, frozen.

 

Taeyong's gun was pointing at another 'ugly creature' but somehow pulling the trigger had never been this difficult. Taeyong couldn't hear Yuta, nor could he see properly. His breath was erratic and somehow his head had grown dizzy.

 

"Taeyong!" Yuta yelled. "Taeyong, shoot it, it's about to attack you!" he warned but Taeyong didn't budge. He stood there with a pale face as the hand that was holding the gun trembled uncontrollably. Yuta looked around in panic in hopes of Jaehyun helping him but the dimpled male was nowhere in sight "Fuck, fuck! Taeyong, what's wrong?" he called out but again, no answer and Yuta decided he had to, for once, save Taeyong, as the zombie was staggering closer. Limping towards his own bag, he rummaged through it and pulled out the pistol. It was the same one, Taeyong had taught him how to shoot with.

"Hang in there, I'll save you!" he yelled at the motionless leader. He fumbled around with the bullets, unsure of how to use it all while cursing. Standing up again, he cocked the weapon and held it up, hands shaking terribly. He took a deep breath. "I'll save you, Taeyong" he said as anxiousness bubbled up inside him again.

 

He felt sick to the stomach at the thought of killing someone. Sure, the dead were a threat but those were once people that had family.

He couldn't imagine ending someone's life that once had so much potential, so much in mind, so many goals and so many ideas. Someone innocent that is merely possessed by something outside of their control. Yuta felt a shudder run down his spine. He had to, though, Taeyong's life was on line.

 

He took another deep breath, pointing at the zombie's head with the gun as he closed his eyes and steadied his hands. "For Taeyong" he whispered as he pulled the trigger. There wasn't much noise, just a thud at which the japanese male winced. He slowly opened his eyes just to see Taeyong walk up to him. "Oh my god Taeyong, I'm relieved, I used the gun just like you taught me I-" Taeyong's right hand came down hard and slapped Yuta across the face.

 

Yuta's small, relieved smile morphed into a shocked and hurt expression in a matter of milliseconds. He held the left side of his face that had a red, angry handprint and turned to look at the elder. "You monster! You fucking monster, what did you do?!" Taeyong yelled, face red and brows furrowed. He had tears in his eyes. "I-I tried to save you" Yuta replied, voice small as he felt a lump form in his throat but Taeyong grabbed him by the collar. "You useless brat! You useless fucking brat, you monster!" he yelled, choking out sobs in between.

From the corner of his eye, Yuta could see Jaehyun walk up to them carefully. "Hey, now, what's going on?" he asked with his hands in the air and Yuta stuttered a small "I tried to s-save him" as he whimpered but Taeyong shook him harshly. "You tried to save me?! Want to know what you've done for our group so far?! Nothing! You've only caused trouble. You're the reason Jaehyun and I are arguing, you're the one that is unable to walk and that is slowing us down, you dragged us into shit with rats! You've only caused trouble!" Taeyong growled and Jaehyun tried to help. "Taeyong, he couldn't have known, please, let's all just calm down-", "I am fucking calm!" the eldest growled and shoved Yuta hard, which had him almost fall due to the injured leg. "Go away, fuck off! I don't wanna see you, ever again!" he shouted, angrily wiping away the tears but Yuta just stood there, confused and baffled.

 

"Taeyong, I-" he began but Taeyong pulled out his gun and pointed it at the other's head. "Go away! Don't make this any harder, fuck off!" he yelled. Yuta took a glance at Jaehyun who stood there hopeless. The dimpled male opened his mouth to say something but he had no words. "I'm sorry" is all he managed to croak out and Yuta nodded dully.

 

He nodded a second time, looking at Taeyong with furrowed brows as he felt tears dwell up as well. Without another word, he limped towards his bag, threw it over his shoulder and began running away.

He ran with both of his legs, numb to the throbbing pain that shot through his injury. The pain in his chest was far worse than anything physical he had experienced in those past few days. Fuck Taeyong, Fuck Neo, Fuck the hopes and dreams he had in which he'd have a husband, dog and a garden, fuck it all, it was unrealistic to begin with. He'd pathetically die in the hands of the undead any given way.

 

Fuck the hopes and dreams.

"Taeyong.." Jaehyun whispered as he walked up to the elder. "Taeyong, what did you do?" he asked, voice soft as to not anger the other even more. "Jaehyun, he shot her" the other replied as he sobbed. "I haven't seen her in so long and I-" another sob, "It all came flooding back, Jaehyun and- and Yuta just killed her" he said, fully bawling his eyes out by then and Jaehyun pat his back. "He couldn't have known" he said but Taeyong pushed him away. "I need some time on my own" he said, voice thick as he gathered his things and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Fishing out his lighter, he held it against the cigarette and tried flicking it on but to no avail, there was no fire. It was broken. "We're taking a break".

 

Carrying an unreasonable amount of Items as one walks around in the glaring sun doesn't sound so promising, Yuta had figured out that much just a few days ago. Carrying an unreasonable amount of burdens as one walks around in the prefect weather, all alone, Yuta had officially concluded, was by far the worst, though. He whimpered with every step he took, it hurt so awfully much, he was sure he'd faint any given second. There were still tears in his eyes and his red nose was runny. He looked disheveled and broken but he was determined to get away from the other as far as possible. After what seemed like an eternity, he saw the entrance of the beautiful forest again. He sighed in relief, at least he wasn't lost. He limped in, grazing the green leaves that rustled due to the wind. Somehow he felt less alone this way; he liked to pretend the forest was greeting him. He let out a sad, pathetic giggle that soon turned into a sob. He didn't hold it back any longer, tears running down his face as he whimpered and wailed. He didn't bother wiping away the tears or the snot, he didn't care. He was exhausted. The last thing he needed in a world full of death and loss was a broken heart. The universe really had something against him. Despite the blurry vision and hurt leg and heart, he kept staggering forward, because just like Jaehyun and Taeyong who were looking for a safe place and shelter to live at, Yuta was too. He knew where he was going.


	9. Chapter nine.

"Taeyong, can we talk?" Jaehyun asked. It was much later that day, the sun had set and Taeyong was trying to fix his lighter because it was his only one and he 'needed a cig to survive' or so he had said. "What do you want?" he muttered, not bothering to even as much as glance at the other. "Are you aware of what you did?" the dimpled male asked, voice soft as he sat down next to Taeyong on the porch. They had found an empty house in which Taeyong had said they'd take a break in. "I'm aware, thank you for blaming me yet again Jaehyun, I really don't need this right now" he said, voice sharp but Jaehyun didn't flinch. "Did you think I wouldn't blame you? Taeyong, you told him to fuck off after he tried to save you!" Jaehyun retorted and Taeyong threw the lighter away. "I know, Jaehyun! I know what I did but I was shocked! I was scared but somehow also relieved when I saw her! I thought there was at least a bit in her humanity left!" he yelled and his voice cracked, sadness washing over him. "Taeyong.. I'm sorry you had to see your sister like this and I'm sure there was a lot going through your mind and I understand your pain but that was not her.. She was going to harm you!" Jaehyun said, scooting closer and squeezing the other's shoulder. "No.. no she would never harm her brother, I saw it in her eyes, she- she smiled at me" Taeyong whispered, voice thick as he held back tears. "Taeyong.." the dimpled male cupped the other's cheeks, tilting his head up so the two looked each other into the eyes. "I'm sorry to say that, but she didn't recognize you.. she didn't smile. You wished she did. Taeyong, she was possessed" he said with knitted brows and Taeyong shook his head as Tears trickled down his face. "I could have saved her, Jaehyun, but I didn't have the guts to chop off her limb" he sobbed, voice wavering and Jaehyun sighed. "You couldn't have, I couldn't have either. It happened and there was nothing we could do and.. I'm sorry I kept bringing this up in our arguments, I never meant it, It's just- I was worried you'd let this happen with Yuta too.." he whispered and Taeyong finally looked up into the other's eyes. "Well, it happened. He's gone now and I'm whose fault it is" he said as he pried the to other's hands away. "I made the damn mistake again, Jaehyun, I'm a fucking coward and the worst leader there is" he said, voice flat as he looked defeated. "Hey, now, you can fix this, don't say that" Jaehyun said, trying to cheer him up. "Jaehyun, I can't. You know, I can't, I told him all of these awful, wrong things, you think he's gonna forgive me?" Taeyong said, massaging his temples and Jaehyun's eyes widened. He jumped off the porch and grabbed the lighter Taeyong had thrown away. "Yes, yes you can, Taeyong, you don't want to be the coward you were back then, right?" he asked as he pushed the broken lighter into the other's unready palm. "So do something about it. Don't run away, talk to him" the younger encouraged and Taeyong looked at the other with confused eyes, before trying to use the lighter again. It still didn't work but there was a spark. A spark of hope that Taeyong wouldn't let go this time. He stood up, determined as he looked at the other. "I know where he's going".

 

"Ah, I'm smart, aren't I rapunzel?" Yuta asked as he walked with a steady branch as a crutch. He got no answer, obviously, as the plush, that was in the small male's arms, couldn't talk - to Yuta's disappointment. "I can survive on my own perfectly fine, I don't need anyone" he continued as he limped towards his goal. He was close, he could see the outlines of it already and if he were to squint hard, he'd see it even clearer. "I'm faster like this, I don't need anyone to carry me or hold me while I walk" he said into the empty streets. It was dark and cold but Yuta somehow wasn't scared. There was not much to live for anyways, he thought, therefore he wasn't scared of being attacked. All these hours in which he was alone had him think; the past time he had survived to maybe find someone he knew, someone he could live with. His family was gone, but that didn't mean, he wasn't able to make a new one himself. He needed a purpose to survive for and honestly, finding that wasn't as easy when you lost absolutely everything. "I didn't get cotton-candy back then, so I'm getting it now" he announced. "You'll see your plush friends again and we'll live in a castle" he added, interrupting his inner debate as to what he's even moving on for. He took out the still very much _half-empty_ bottle to drink and calm his thoughts.

 

"Taeyong, slow down, where are we even going?" Jaehyun asked breathlessly as he caught up with the other. Taeyong had jumped onto his feet and began sprinting after Jaehyun's inspirational speech as he was determined, or so it seemed. "He's at the amusement park" Taeyong responded as he took long strides. "Don't you remember?" he asked, equally as breathless as the younger. "What?" Jaehyun scoffed and Taeyong slowed down a little but didn't stop walking. "I mean, think about it, there's more than enough he can do there, there's food and he can live in a castle! In a damn castle!"  He said and Jaehyun smiled slightly. "That does sound very much like him" he commented and Taeyong nodded. "Exactly, let's go!" he said as he began sprinting "Wh- Taeyong, oh my god, there's no need to run!" he yelled but Taeyong was long gone, running as if his life depended on it. And a life did depend on it, it just wasn't his.

 

"Oh, would you look at that, we have a little guest".

"Guest, my ass, this park isn't yours" Yuta spat and, alright, maybe he should have shut his mouth and not argued with the head of the rats but he was a bratty idiot and couldn't help it. "What a rude one, what will we with do with you, hm?" the leader asked. He was tall, had jet-black hair and buff arms that Yuta would normally drool over but right was not the time. Yuta was encircled with criminals who had their gun pointed at him. Upon entering the castle he must have interrupted some type of meeting or whatever which angered them and what not, so that's how he got into this very situation. "What will you do with me? Question is what will I do with you, instead! I'll beat you up, just watch, I've fought zombies with my bare hands" Yuta barked but the leader wasn't impressed; quite the opposite even, he snorted and began laughing and soon his minions joined him in on the laughter. "You? You're going to beat me up? With what, your little plushie?" he asked, amused and Yuta scoffed. "I'll shove my entire fucking crutch up your ass" he said, stepping closer to the ravenette to which the other's cocked their guns, ready to shoot if Yuta were to touch the tall man. Said man gave the smaller a smirk. "Sorry, sweetie, but I'm not into that. But maybe you are? Do you like big things up your tight little hole? I'm sure my men would love to try something exotic? You're not from here are you? Are you Japanese? Chinese?" he asked as he grabbed Yuta by the chin but the smaller slapped his hand away. "Over my dead fucking body" he muttered with a glare and the leader raised his eyebrows. "Oh, look a smart one. How did you know that's what I was going to offer you? That you either work for us or die? Hmm unless..." the head of the group looked around. "Is anyone into necrophilia?" he asked as if it was the most normal thing to ask. A man in the very back raised his hand and the group erupted in laughter. The leader laughed as well before turning back to Yuta. "Would you look at that, you're lucky" he hummed. "Two for one! You get to die and get fucked, isn't that nice? We're such generous people" he said, laughing and Yuta wrinkled his nose in disgust.

 

Opening his mouth as he was about to reply, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention; Rats were mysteriously collapsing one by one and the leader looked around, confused. "What's happening?! You said you were on your own!" The leader growled, grabbing Yuta by the collar as more and more members fell onto their knees. Some began running away and soon it was just Yuta and the head of what once was a group. "How about we offer a deal as well, only that would be fair, no?" A voice rang and someone stepped from out of the corner of the staircase. "You leave him alone and we don't fucking kill you and the rest of your cowardly men" Taeyong said and Yuta gasped.

"How did you get in here?!" The leader demanded and Jaehyun stepped up next to Taeyong, holding another male by the hair while he pressed his gun against his back. "Our buddy 24601 helped us out a bit" Taeyong said with a smug smile. "A gun with a silencer does wonders, you know? Anyways, you don't have much choice, let him go or you're dead" Taeyong threatened and the leader scoffed. "You fucking asshole shot half of my men and he's not even worth it" he snarled, shoving Yuta as he backed away. "I will get back to you" he said before storming off and Taeyong rolled his eyes. Jaehyun let 24601 go and he and the elder practically ran down to Yuta.

"Are you okay?" Jaehyun asked as he pulled the other into a hug and Yuta nodded. "I'm fine, thank you" he said, voice muffled and Jaehyun sighed in relief. He soon pulled away and looked at Taeyong to which Yuta gulped, unsure of how to feel about the other.

 

"Yuta.." Taeyong started, carefully walking up to the other with a face full of regret. "Can we talk this through? I'm so sorry for what I've done but we need to get out of here as fast as possible and i'll explain myself later, okay?" Taeyong suggested but Yuta stood still, not budging as all kinds of thoughts and emotions ran through his mind. He felt a hand caress his, softly and he looked down to find Taeyong reaching out for him. "You haven't lost a shoe so I can't ask you to be mine just yet, princess, but I saved you twice, didn't I? Choose me, please?" the elder asked, voice desperate and Yuta felt Taeyong's hands tremble. And maybe Yuta was naive and soft and forgave too easily, but so be it, he nodded and squeezed Taeyong's hand softly. Taeyong's face immediately lit up and he somehow acted shy and hesitant, like some first-grader in love. "Will you let me carry you?" he asked and Yuta almost scoffed. "Since when are you nice and ask for permission?" Yuta shot back and Taeyong sighed. "I realized that I should do that more often. I am reckless and I want to change that. I don't want to lose you again" he confessed but Yuta, despite the butterflies in his stomach, didn't give in. "who said you got me back?" he asked, voice cold and Taeyong winced. "Sorry, I- well, I hope to win you back and if I succeed, I don't plan on ever letting you go" he said, ducking his head. Yuta eyed the elder with sad eyes before looking at Jaehyun who just stood there, patiently waiting for the two to finish. "What about the deal?" Yuta asked and Jaehyun blinked. "I- the deal was silly to begin with.. Love doesn't ruin things, it's just neither of us is able to balance it out well. If anything, love can be the fuel to move on and do great things and survive" he said and Taeyong looked back at the dimpled male, surprised. Whipping his head back to Yuta, Taeyong nodded. "That's right, you're the fuel to my fire" he said, unashamed and Yuta snorted. "Did you hit your head on your way here? I didn't know you could be this sappy" he sassed and Taeyong grinned, hard, glad to have the other's cheeky self back despite the insult. "Yuta, I am insomniac because you're my dream come true" he spluttered and Yuta laughed out loud. "Ew, where's my asshole vampire Taeyong and what did you do to him?" he asked and Taeyong laughed along. He pulled Yuta close by the waist and Yuta laid his hands on the elders chest. "Will the prince get his princess' rightfully deserved kiss now? Will the princess choose his prince?" he asked, voice low enough for Jaehyun not to hear but Yuta shook his head. "No, but you can carry me" he said and Taeyong's heart sank.

"Later?" Yuta added and, oh, alright, Taeyong's heart was fine again but he wasn't finished talking yet, he wanted to pour his soul out for the younger and deeply apologize for what he had done. "I'll carry you, princess but I really can't move on without telling you just how sorry I am. I know it's a bad excuse but I was and am sleep-deprived and stressed and the- the.. zombie" Taeyong swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "That was my sister and I was out of my mind, I hoped to see her again but not like that and I was paralyzed and when you shot- when you shot her, I felt like my whole world collapsed. I never meant the words I said, I don't even remember much of what I had yelled, I was deaf from all the anger and sadness that came up in me and- when you left, reality immediately dawned upon me" he said, brows furrowed with a quivering bottom lip. "Yuta, I don't know how or why but you somehow digged your way deep into my heart and this is such a shit time to be confessing this to you but- but I fell for you and I fell hard and I don't think I can live without you" Taeyong said, heart racing and hands trembling as he let his heart talk. Yuta was about to open his mouth and throw himself onto Taeyong when suddenly-

"Alright, y'all cute, but like, can you continue your sappy little moment when we get out of here? The rats might just come back, we need to hurry" Jaehyun interrupted and, oh, yeah, he was still there, huh? Yuta giggled and nodded. "Let's go?" he asked, looking back into Taeyong's eyes and as tempting it was, Taeyong didn't kiss the smaller until the two'd run out of breath just yet. Instead he smiled and lifted Yuta up, bridal-style. "Let's go".

 

As romantic it sounded to carry his princess to a safe place in his arms, reality was a little harsher. They reached the forest again when Taeyong's arms slowly but surely were starting to give in. "Princess, those pop tarts didn't do you well, you're heavy" he wheezed and Yuta hit him playfully as he giggled. "Fuck you" he said and Taeyong snorted. "I'd rather do just that but to you" he replied greasily and Jaehyun faked a gag in the background. "Please keep it family-friendly" he called and Yuta laughed. "You can put me down" he said to Taeyong and the elder did, embarrassingly fast, even. He sighed in relief and stretched. "I think we should take a break, we have all the time in the world anyways, why hurry and exhaust ourselves?" Taeyong asked and Jaehyun and Yuta blinked at the leader owlishly. "Since when do you suggest breaks? You were the one that wanted to walk the rest to Neo in just a day with no breaks" Jaehyun said, brows furrowed as he eyed Taeyong. The elder sighed as a blush crept up his face. "Breaks are important to maintain a clear mind- which is what we need, especially me. I don't want to do anything irrational again" he said and Yuta smiled gently.

"Character development" he commented and Jaehyun laughed. "I'm getting branches again and setting everything up so we can eat and rest" he said, turning on his heel and leaving the two on their own. Taeyong looked at Yuta expectantly as he bit his lip and Yuta felt the atmosphere tense up. They stood there, Taeyong staring Yuta down from quite the distance and suddenly Yuta sighed with a smile. "Fine, come get your kiss, hero" he said and Taeyong laughed an ugly laugh before walking up to the other in the speed of light. He kissed Yuta as his arms wrapped around the other's small waist, not just for support but also because Taeyong very much loved the younger's curves. Yuta felt his heart race pick up as his stomach did flips - sideways, backwards, forward - all kinds of directions, really, the feelings inside of him exploded and he felt his head spin. Happiness, Relief, Slight anger, Sadness all of which was coursing through his mind and body as Taeyong kissed him like his life depended on it. Taeyong held Yuta close, caressing and appreciating every little bit of Yuta, every nook and cranny; he savoured it, embraced it, inhaled it and most importantly loved it with his entire being. Sweeping his tongue on the younger's bottom lip, he pried Yuta's mouth open to kiss him deeper and harder. Yuta simply shivered and whined into the kiss, letting himself go and enjoying the moment. Their tongues swiveled and danced and soon Yuta's hands were tugging on Taeyong's  hair in need of proper air but Taeyong wanted to see the other pant, so he didn't give in. If anything, he kissed Yuta harder, his hands sneaking down to the other's thighs to hoist the smaller up. Yuta let out a muffled squeal and wrapped his legs around the other's lower back. The two lost track of time as they basically ate each other's faces (read: Taeyong ate Yuta's, Yuta just embraced it all).

 

To them things were timeless.

 

"Get back, lovebirds, I made food" Yuta heard Jaehyun suddenly call out and oh- wow, just how long have they been kissing? The sentence also seemed very similar but Yuta shrugged it both off. Taeyong gently lowered the Japanese male onto the ground. The eldest looked at Jaehyun and then back at Yuta and laughed, pulling Yuta along (careful as to not hurt him). Taeyong was surprisingly happy again despite the loss of his sister and the very little amount of sleep. Yuta was glad, of course, but still wondered why that was. He hoped it was because the two were together again, because love apparently moves mountains or whatever (Yuta had read that on a poster once and being the sap that he is, he believed it very much).

 

"Taeyong, can you help me put on the fire? So we're warm during the night?" Jaehyun had called, later that evening when Taeyong and Yuta were patching up the smaller's injured leg. "Jaehyun, you know that my lighter isn't working" he yelled, not even sparing the other a glance whatsoever as he was staring at the other's wound. Like crimson paint on Porcelain white skin, unlike any other shudder-inducing wound at which you couldn't look.

"Did you try using it? Come on, help me somehow" Jaehyun shouted back and Taeyong sighed as he rolled his eyes. Pecking Yuta's lips before standing up straight, he walked up to the complaining male. He whipped out his lighter and tried flicking it on and-

"See? I told you it'd work" Jaehyun commented as Taeyong watched the small flame dance before his widened eyes. He looked back at Yuta who was picking at his wound all while humming, oblivious to the others stare. Taeyong had his fire back.


	10. Chapter ten.

"Wakey wakey" Yuta heard a soft voice call. Stirring around, he groaned, too tired to move. "Do you want coffee?" Jaehyun asked and Yuta finally opened his eyes with great difficulty. "m'goodthanks" he slurred and went back to cuddling Rapunzel, crawling back and snuggling deep into the sleeping bag. Jaehyun hummed and continued boiling the water for his instant coffee. "Did you sleep well?" he asked and Yuta let out a small grunt to which Jaehyun laughed. "Still not a morning person?" he asked but all that was heard were soft snores. Jaehyun chuckled and leaned back, watching the other sleep. "Hey, you're making coffee?" Taeyong asked as he returned from his 'morning piss'. Jaehyun nodded. "I think your princess might just be the sleeping beauty, he won't wake up" he said and Taeyong snorted. Sitting down next to the dimpled male, he watched the small flames flicker gently. "Jaehyun, are you really okay with all of this?" Taeyong asked, voice low for Yuta not to possibly hear and Jaehyun sighed softly. "Yeah. Not gonna lie, I do like him but... well, it's not just up to me and besides, I haven't seen you this happy in a while" he said and Taeyong smiled softly. "Thank you, Jaehyun" he whispered as he pulled the other into a brief hug. "Now," Jaehyun cleared his voice, "Go wake him up, Neo's near" he said with a determined smile and Taeyong nodded, grinning smugly. Standing up and striding over to Yuta, he flopped down onto the smaller which had the japanese male wheeze. "Wake up, sleepyhead" Taeyong chuckled.

 

15 minutes of scolding, pinching, kissing and convincing later, Yuta stood up, lazily asking Taeyong to carry him but as much as he loved the smaller, he was exhausted himself, so Jaehyun had the duty to do so. They (read: Taeyong and Jaehyun) had been walking for approximately another 4 hours until their legs began giving in. Taeyong was certain he had millions upon millions of blisters on his feet by then. Yuta cringed at the thought but shrugged it off soon. Curious to know more about Neo, he asked questions to which Jaehyun wheezed half-assed answers. "Why is it that Neo can only reach as much with their radio waves? Wasn't it more before the apocalypse happened?" he asked as Jaehyun set him down, lowering himself onto the ground with wobbly knees. "Large commercial radio stations that relied on utility power went quiet. Smaller personal transmitters FRS, HAM, CB, anything that can be run on low voltage DC can be kept operational for years via solar cell charged car batteries" he explained and Yuta nodded. "Speaking of Neo," Taeyong interrupted. "We're almost there" he said and, indeed, they were. In fact, they were at the same spot they had separated at. Looking around, Yuta finally glanced at Taeyong who seemed tense, fists clenched and brows furrowed. Yuta imagined everything that must have been going through his head, all the chaos and turmoil, the zombies, the fight, his sister, the memories; Yuta decided to ease his mind. Limping towards the leader, he gently turned Taeyong around so they were eye to eye. Smiling gently, he caressed Taeyong's face to which the other visibly relaxed a bit. Wobbly going on his tiptoes, Yuta kissed Taeyong's forehead. "You okay?" he whispered and Taeyong heaved a big sigh. "Better now" he simply said and Yuta nodded. Taeyong looked around one last time as he rubbed his eyes, he took another deep breath, before sweeping Yuta off his feet. Yelping, he clutched onto Taeyong. "Oh my god, you should have warned me!" he complained. "And miss out on your dumb, surprised expression? No, thanks" Taeyong chuckled and Yuta hit him weakly. "Let's please get away from here as fast as possible" Taeyong said after he finished giggling like an idiot and Yuta nodded, noting the way the other's voice had turned soft but serious. Jaehyun, who walked up to the two, agreed, avoiding the countless lifeless bodies on the ground they had left behind. It was sickening but no one addressed it. Besides, they fought to survive.

 

Yuta couldn't have imagined ending someone's life that once had so much potential, so much in mind, so many goals and so many ideas. Someone innocent that was merely possessed by something outside of their control. He couldn't have imagined it and yet he had done just that. Furrowing his brows as guilt and anger as well as sadness crawled back up, he tapped the Taeyong's shoulder gently. "Let's hurry, please" he whispered and Taeyong nodded.

 

"It's not far from here anymore" Jaehyun laughed as he double-checked the map later that day. "We only have to cross the river and walk for a bit and then we're there!" he said as he laid on the dirty ground. "Oh my god I am exhausted" he wheezed and Taeyong laughed. They were currently taking a break again and Yuta ate some left-over poptarts while Jaehyun gulped down the last bit of water the three had. "Will we be only allowed to stay inside the walls? What if I want to go back to Osaka one day?" Yuta suddenly asked, laying down as well and Taeyong hummed. "I don't know how this all will work but we'll just see. But if you ever want to go to Osaka, I'll come with you" he said, smiling gently at the other all while looking Yuta into the eyes. Yuta smiled back, nodding. "Thanks, Taeyong" he whispered and Taeyong reached for the other's hand. He caressed Yuta's knuckles with his thumb ever so gently and Yuta felt his heart stutter. Taeyong then turned to Jaehyun who looked as though he had passed out. "How many more minutes?" Taeyong asked the dimpled male, to which he muttered a small. "5 more minutes". Taeyong chuckled and began packing their things again. They were all beyond exhausted, not just physically but also mentally. The things the three had experienced the past few days had worn them down quite the bit. Once Taeyong finished packing, he turned back to Yuta with a smile and Yuta swears, he had never seen the elder smile as much as he had been ever since the three found one another again. "What are you grinning for?" he asked playfully and Taeyong chuckled. "You look stupid" he said and Yuta let out something that resembled both a scoff and a laugh. "I thought you lost that sassiness of yours" he commented and Taeyong grinned wider. He scooted close to the other and squeezed the smaller male's thighs, who sat with his legs crossed. Yuta squealed and swat the other's hands away. "You have quite the fucking nerve, Nakamoto" Taeyong said as he pulled Yuta onto his lap and Yuta giggled but tried to climb off. Taeyong was stronger (Yuta knew that much, but he tried his luck nonetheless) and he held Yuta in place. The Japanese male hummed as he looked into the other's eyes. "I like you better like that" he continued and Taeyong smirked. "You're stealing my lines" he muttered and Yuta nodded. "You stole my heart, it's only fair" he said and Taeyong snorted and laughed, pushing the other off his lap. "Did you hit your head on your way here? I didn't know you could be this sappy" he imitated the other and Yuta kicked Taeyong (which in Taeyong's opinion was far from an actual kick, Yuta was too weak to actually harm the elder) as he gasped. "Now you're stealing my lines!" he said and Taeyong laughed crawling onto the other and pinning him down. "You stole my heart, it's only fair" he added and Yuta let out another scandalized gasp. Taeyong chuckled and he leaned down to peck the other's lips. "Will you let me steal your breath as well?" he mumbled with that raspy voice of his and Yuta felt goosebumps rise. Too afraid to speak up to not possibly ruin the moment, he nodded shyly and Taeyong grinned smugly.

Just as the elder was about to lean down and kiss Yuta senseless, Jaehyun cleared his throat. "Please calm your hormones until we get to Neo" he said, sitting up and Taeyong snorted. "Fine. Does that mean you're ready to go?" he asked and Jaehyun sighed but nodded his head. Reluctantly getting off of Yuta, Taeyong straightened his clothes and stood up to offer the smaller a hand as well. The three were back on their feet again and soon enough, they were dragging themselves to wherever Korea's survival group was situated.

 

"Do you need to kiss it goodbye?" Jaehyun snorted as he watched Taeyong stared at the gun thoughtfully. They had reached the river after what seemed like hours and Taeyong had announced that this would be, where they'd get rid of their weapons because that's what Neo had instructed. And so there they were, Yuta had long ago thrown the gun into the water (taking it out the bullets before doing so, though) and Jaehyung and the japanese waited for the leader to do the same.

"It's just a gun, dude, you-", "I know" Taeyong interrupted. "It was my father's" he added and Yuta's eyes widened. Was? Were Taeyong's parents gone as well?

"Oh, Taeyong, I'm sorry about that" he whispered but Taeyong sighed before cocking the weapon and shooting aimlessly into the water. 12 shots. Once he was done, he forcefully threw the gun into the water as he let out an angry grunt.

"He was an asshole anyways" he muttered, breathlessly. Watching the water drag away their remainings, he thread a hand through his hair. "I never told you what happened to my parents, right?" Taeyong asked and Jaehyun and Yuta nodded. "That's because they were barely there for me, there's not much to say. I was on my own most of the time. Took care of my sister and I" he said and Yuta finally understood why Taeyong was so keen on having everything under control; he was used to doing the lead. He was used to taking care of others and helping others because he never felt it himself. He understood why Taeyong insisted on helping Yuta to begin with.

 

Limping up to the other, Yuta smiled gently as he caressed the taller's hand. Taeyong gave back a half-hearted grin and linked their pinkies. "Let's just go before I climb into the water to get my guns back" he said, giggling. Yuta nodded. "Don't worry, you can survive without one. I'm here to protect you, I can fight zombies with just my bare hands after all" Yuta replied with a greasy wink and Taeyong laughed. Jaehyun grinned at the two and walked up to them, pulling them into a group hug. "We're soon safe" he said the three broke out in joy.

 

They kept walking to their destination with just as much joy, they would get to properly rest in just a bit after all. They could lead a somewhat normal life again, without having to hide or fight on a daily basis. Yuta was no longer clinging onto either one of his friends' back, he insisted he'd walk by himself and as much as Taeyong didn't want Yuta to be in pain, Yuta didn't want to exhaust the two to the point where they would collapse. He did heave and wheeze whenever he'd make a wrong step that'd have pain shot through his leg and Taeyong kept asking if he was okay with worried eyes but Yuta reassured him over and over again, saying he was fine. Walking by himself again, gave the Japanese male the opportunity to explore some more and so he did. They were taking another small break, so Jaehyun could check the map, when Yuta decided to stagger towards a sign that was barely holding itself up. Brushing away the dust and moss that had clinged onto it, he hummed.

"Jaehyun, what's NCT?" he asked and Jaehyun stopped in his tracks, whipping his head towards the other. "Did you just say NCT?" he asked with wide eyes and Yuta nodded hesitantly as confusion took over his expression. "Oh my god" Jaehyun exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face. He threw his items onto the ground and ran towards Yuta, hugging him tightly and lifting him. "Neo City! You found Neo City!" he yelled and Yuta who was baffled and frozen, hugged back. Realisation settled soon and Yuta gasped. "Oh my god, Neo!" he shouted and Taeyong laughed, glomping the two. "Neo City!" he joined the laughter. "We fucking found them!" he yelled but Jaehyun didn't set Yuta down. "Let's go! Taeyong can you get my stuff?" he asked and Taeyong nodded, grin still very much there. "Jaehyun, can you put me down?" Yuta asked, laughing but Jaehyun shook his head. "We're running" he announced and soon Yuta squealed when Jaehyun held him tighter and began sprinting. "Jaehyun- wait, oh my god!" he shouted but Jaehyun simply laughed. Yuta watched Taeyong run after them as if the three didn't just walk for hours and hours. The adrenaline had kicked in and they ran for their lives all while laughing like children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts on the story so far :( <3


	11. Chapter eleven.

Upon arriving at huge gates breathlessly, Jaehyun finally lowered Yuta onto the ground. A male, taller than all three of them greeted them. "We would like to join Neo!" Taeyong said, determined and the tall male nodded. "Please hand me your IDs and lay your bags right there" he said, pointing towards a table at which another male waited whose face very much resembled a puppy's. The three did as told while puppy-face looked through their bags. "Any weapons?" he asked and Jaehyun shook his head. "We left them. Weapons aren't allowed, right?" he asked and puppy-face hummed. "Right. Any injuries?" he asked as he gave back the bags. "I was shot in the leg" Yuta spoke up and the two Neo-Members looked at him with wide eyes.

"How exactly did that happen? You don't have anything to do with rats by any chance do you?" Puppy-face asked and the other Neo-Member walked up to Yuta. "If you're part of their filthy little group, you and your two little friends can pack your things and go, because your men have tried to break in already" he sneered and- oh wow, he was intimidating. "Yuta isn't part of them and neither are we. We came across them in an amusement park that they claimed as theirs" Taeyong interrupted, chest puffed as he strided over to the Japanese male to protect him and the tall Neo-Member huffed. "What do you know about them?" he asked and Taeyong furrowed his brows. "They don't go by names but by numbers, they use walkie talkies, one of which I stole and last time we saw them, they were still in said amusement park. One of them is called 24601 and we've met their leader. We shot some of them in defense" he said in one breath and the taller nodded, taking a step back. "Alright, we trust you with that. For now. We'll keep an eye on you" he warned as he gave back their ID's. "You're our first Japanese member, Nakamoto Yuta" he commented as he looked at the smaller with the tiniest bit of what seemed like a smile. "We had a bad start, but we have to be careful with who we let in. Let me introduce myself; I am Seo Johnny and this" he pointed towards puppy-face. "is Wong Yukhei. He also goes by Lucas. Welcome to Neo" he said, bowing and the three mimicked Johnny. "We'll send you to the nursery, Nakamoto" he added. "Please, enter" and the three did. Looking around, Neo very much resembled a huge market. There were tents and stands everywhere, a few houses that must have somehow survived the apocalypse. "We'll show you around in a bit. We have a nursery, the big building is where you'll be sleeping, there's a stall behind said market as we're trying to breed cows and horses that luckily have not been affected" Johnny said as he lead the way. Yukhei was behind the three, hand positioned on his rifle in case the three planned on doing something but all the trio did was look around in awe.

 

"Doyoung are you there?" Johnny called as the five of them entered the nursery. Yuta looked around in the room when his eyes finally settled on a slim, tall male with jet black hair and round glasses who had come out from behind a curtain. "New members?" he asked nonchalantly, as he toyed with a syringe. "Yes, Nakamoto Yuta here is injured" Johnny said as he pointed at the smaller and the male who Johnny addressed as Doyoung glanced at Yuta. "Sit down, Nakamoto" he said, pulling away the curtain which revealed a seat and several tools and kits. Limping towards the seat and sitting down carefully, he looked at the other expectantly. "Anyone else? If not, I'd like to be alone with my client" he said as he gave the Japanese male an almost sinister smile.

 

It was later that day when Taeyong began worrying. Doyoung had not allowed Yuta to exit the nursery, which is why the Japanese male had been forced to skip lunch. Sneakily grabbing a few things that he hid in his bag, he made his way to the nursery. Luckily, Doyoung must have gone out to eat, giving Taeyong the opportunity to walk in. Pushing away the curtain, Yuta was still sitting there. His leg was wrapped tightly in bandages and Taeyong sighed. "Hey, how are you doing?" he asked and Yuta blinked, surprised that the other was there. "I'm better" he answered softly. "What took you two so long?" Taeyong asked as he sat down near the other. "I told Doyoung that I was shot by a rat and that the wound was torn more by a zombie. He asked to look into it, he wanted to make sure I wasn't infected. He also told me that they're looking for a cure" Yuta explained when suddenly-

"Yes, we are looking for a cure" The nurse suddenly appeared, pulling the curtain away as he walked up to the two. "And I suggest you leave, I'm not done yet" he added and Taeyong huffed, brows furrowed as he stood up. "Yuta hasn't even eaten yet" he protested and Doyoung sighed. "This is important, Lee, Yuta might be an answer to how and why it all started" the taller said as he pushed his glasses back with a gloved hand. Taeyong didn't budge. "Yuta hasn't been bitten but I know a potential solution" he said and Doyoung let out a brief laugh. "Is that so?" Doyoung asked with a smug grin. "The animals" is all Taeyong said and Doyoung laughed even more so. "You think we haven't checked? The animals are affected too. Now, move" he ordered, pushing past Taeyong but the elder caught his wrist. "Underwater animals" he added and Doyoung froze. "Where?" he asked and this time it was Taeyong's turn to smile smugly. "In an aquarium" he answered and Doyoung scoffed. "Fish live for only two to three days in a tank with no food, that can't be" he said and Taeyong let go of the other's wrist. "Sharks can live with no food for years". Doyoung's eyes widened. "Amusement park, yes?" he asked and Taeyong nodded. "About 60 km from here" he said and Doyoung stood still for a moment, deep in thought, before rushing out of the nursery. Taeyong chuckled once the male was gone, sitting back near Yuta. "Where was I?" he asked with a smile and Yuta laughed. "You were going to kiss me?" he suggested and Taeyong hummed. "Was I?" he asked and Yuta suddenly grew insecure. "I- I hope you were" he muttered and Taeyong laughed, inching closer before closing the distance and kissing Yuta softly. The elder caressed everything in reach, to which Yuta squirmed and giggled and Taeyong decided the smaller was the cutest person he has ever met. The two kept kissing for what seemed like half an eternity before Yuta pulled away softly, lips red and slightly swollen (Taeyong had a habit of biting and nibbling too hard). Smiling gently, he spoke up. "Did you come here for an actual reason, though?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper and Taeyong chuckled. "What if I just missed you a lot, hm?" Taeyong retorted and Yuta scoffed. "As if. Now, tell me, why are you here?" Yuta shot back with a playful grin "Ah, so rude, I did miss you a lot" Taeyong sighed as he pulled back, reaching for his bag. "I got you food" he finally revealed and Yuta laughed. "Thank you" he hummed as Taeyong layed out the food he had stolen. "And," Taeyong added, not finished with fishing out food just yet. "I got us this" he said pulling out an item that had Yuta gasp.

 

"Oh my god, Taeyong" he said, eyes wide as he stared at the elder, baffled. Taeyong simply bursted into laughter as he put the item down. "Why don't we share, princess?" he asked and Yuta had the biggest grin on imaginable. It was a jar of peanut butter.

 

Waking up in a pair of arms was something Yuta thought he could only imagine but never really experience himself. He thought wrong, though. Upon stirring awake, he was rendered in movement by a pair of said strong arms. Carefully turning around to face whoever it is that had snuggled up against him, he felt butterflies go wild in his stomach. Taeyong laid there, eyes lidded as he smiled fondly. "Good morning, sleepyhead" he greeted in that low, raspy voice of his and oh- how much Yuta loved the other's voice was ineffable. "Good morning" Yuta replied with a shy smile and Taeyong chuckled, kissing the other softly. "Did you sleep well, princess?" Taeyong asked and Yuta nodded. "What about you?" the smaller asked, reaching out to play with the other's hair. "Princess, I don't sleep, I'm a vampire, aren't I? I got mentally stuck in 1990, didn't I?" he asked as he chuckled lowly, pinching the other's sides to which Yuta squirmed and squealed. Taeyong used the opportunity to kiss Yuta again to which the smaller responded with a hum. The two stayed like that for a while, lips on lips while their breath mingled. Taeyong's right hand traveled up and down Yuta's flat stomach while the left one caressed the other's soft hair. Pulling away, the two panted. "What a nice way to wake up" the Japanese male commented and Taeyong chuckled. "You know.." the elder spoke up as he stroked the other's hair. "At first I wasn't even sure whether I actually wanted to come to Neo" he began and Yuta eyed him in confusion. "I didn't know what I'd do when I get here. I wouldn't have anyone to look after but myself, I wouldn't have anyone to live for but myself. But now that I am here with you" he looked into Yuta's eyes. "I think I do" he said softly and Yuta felt his stomach twist pleasantly. He pecked the other's lips briefly and giggled. "You're in such a good mood. Did you sleep for once?" Yuta asked softly and Taeyong snorted. "No, but holding you and watching you sleep so peacefully was nice too" he said and Yuta smiled.

 

"Do you want coffee?" was the first thing Yuta heard Jaehyun ask that day when Taeyong and the smaller walked into the canteen they didn't know existed. Yuta let out a brief laugh before hugging Jaehyung tightly. He was happy to hear these simple words every day. "I don't want coffee" he said, voice coming out muffled as he nuzzled the other's sweater. Jaehyun chuckled and held the other close. He felt emotions bubble up but he suppressed them and pushed the smaller gently away. Taeyong sat across Jaehyun, stealing some of the dimpled male's food. "Did you look around yet?" he asked and Jaehyun nodded as he watched Yuta sit down next to Taeyong. "I saw their small farm and I met a few people. I also talked to Johnny" he said as he poked and stirred the food he had gotten. "He said that we have a few days to get accustomed to everything and after that we'd have to help them with all there is. We have to work to stay here" he added and Taeyong nodded. Yuta furrowed his brows in mild confusion. "Work? Like what?" he asked and Jaehyun hummed. "Help them with the animals, the research, the food, with building shelters as more and more people join neo, stuff like that. We have to basically help them revive what we had before the apocalypse happened" he said and Taeyong and Yuta nodded as they listened carefully. "When do we start?" Taeyong asked and Jaehyun shrugged. "I suppose they're gonna inform us" he said and Taeyong huffed. "Alright. Well, let's enjoy these next few days before we're gonna have to help them" he announced and Yuta almost snorted at just how much the other lived as this leader persona. "Are there any fun things we can do?" Yuta asked and Jaehyun nodded. "There are board games and cards and I think they began building a library as well" he said and Yuta smiled. "Alright, let's play something then" he suggested and soon they were back on their feet.

 

It was much later that day when Taeyong and Yuta were lying outside on the ground as some Neo members passed and questioned them. The two didn't care, though, they were far too deep in their own world as Taeyong gently caressed Yuta's knuckles with his thumb. "You said you didn't know what you'd survive for if I weren't here?" Yuta whispered as he turned onto his side to face the elder and Taeyong hummed. "Well- what did you want to become before the whole apocalypse happened?" the Japanese male asked and Taeyong closed his eyes for a second, deep in thought. "It sounds stupid but I wanted to become a rapper" he said, ears growing red in embarrassment and Yuta giggled. "That's not stupid, I think it's cool" he said, poking the other's cheek and Taeyong furrowed his dark, stern eyebrows as he gently caught the other's hand. Turning to the side as well to face Yuta, he asked the other the same thing.

"What about you? What did you want to become?" he muttered and Yuta smiled gently. "When I was very little, I wanted to become a soccer player. I didn't get to do anything like that, though, I worked in a small flower shop and my wish was then to become an idol" he said, voice soft as he dreamily looked into Taeyong's eyes. Taeyong smiled, bringing up the other's hand to kiss each finger gently. "If we were to be idols, I'd be the rapper and you'd be the visual and vocalist, princess" he whispered and Yuta giggled. "You'd be the visual"  he argued and Taeyong tsked before rolling on top of the other. "Lies, you're far prettier with that tiny nose of yours" he kissed Yuta's nose. "The flawless skin" again, he pecked said feature. "Your soft, oval face shape" he kissed the other's jaw. "And those luscious, pink lips" another soft kiss and with that Yuta's face was crimson. "Tell me more, Yuta, I want to know everything about you" Taeyong said, staring deeply into the other's eyes and Yuta felt his heart beat fast. "What else do you want to know?" he asked shyly and Taeyong grinned. "What was your goal besides potentially becoming an Idol" he asked and Yuta hummed. "I- uhm" he began but his voice cracked, betraying him. "You?" Taeyong teased and Yuta cleared his throat. "I've always wanted to h-have a dog and a big garden and- uhm" Taeyong stared at him expectantly and Yuta felt his heart beat faster. "A husband" he breathed and Taeyong grinned even harder if possible. Without a response, Taeyong simply leaned down and kissed Yuta softly. "A dog, garden and a husband, huh?" he asked in a low voice with that stupid smirk of his and Yuta felt warmth spread in his body. He nodded dumbly and Taeyong laughed. "I can make that happen" he muttered before kissing the other again.


	12. Chapter twelve.

"You've taken a break long enough, I think it's time we introduce our new Neo members to their jobs, no?" Johnny announced as Jaehyun, Taeyong and Yuta stood at the gates drowsily. It was three days in, early in the morning when Johnny dragged the three out of their respective beds and just the way they've woken up, hair tousled and eyes puffy, they stood there like lost, sleepy puppies. "Doyoung said your leg should be far better by now but not good enough for you to tag along, Nakamoto. You'll be helping with the food in the canteen while Jung and Lee will come with us. We're going to that aquarium of yours" he said and Yuta was suddenly wide awake. "What? No, I can come along, my leg is fine!" he said but Doyoung who was writing god knows what onto some documents of his shook his head. "You're staying here" he said nonchalantly and Yuta wasn't having any of it. "I'm not separating from my two only friends" he said, voice stern and Doyoung scoffed. "Your leg is far from healed and you have no word in this-", "I'm never leaving their side again!" Yuta spat back, interrupting the other and Doyoung was about to personally drag Yuta with him but Johnny laid a hand on his shoulder. Doyoung looked up at the other in confusion. "Let him tag along" he said, voice clear and sharp and Doyoung huffed in frustration. "Fine".

 

Walking with an actual survival group was way different from dragging yourself to the location with two inexperienced people, Yuta noticed. Every step was somehow calculated, they had an ungodly amount of weapons, taking regular breaks was a necessity and besides all of these things, the group took a-whole-nother route because 'this one is safer' a Neo member called Mark had said. Neo had checked and secured many paths and places, that’s what the Japanese male picked up at least. Mark talked a little too much for his taste which is why he sometimes completely ignored the futile information that the younger threw onto his head.

Yuta didn't know how long it'd take them to get back but Johnny had said that it'd apparently take them less time. "How long until the next break?" he asked breathlessly and Johnny turned to face him. "One more hour. Are you okay?" he asked and Yuta nodded but the limping leg gave away the pain that repeatedly shot through his leg. "I regret letting you come with us, Nakamoto, your leg isn't doing good" he commented, seeing through the younger and Yuta whimpered. "I'd never leave my friends on their own" he replied and Johnny smiled. "We need loyal people like you on the team" he said. Yuta was caught off guard by the compliment.

Taeyong soon turned around as well with a worried expression. He was just as exhausted; he was sweaty and breathless, his clothes were anything but straight and his hair was disheveled like never before but somehow the elder managed to look ethereal nonetheless. "Do you want me to carry you, princess?" he asked and Yuta's face went red. Taeyong had only called Yuta princess in front of Jaehyun, so for the elder to openly call him that in front of other Neo members as if the two were a couple had Yuta flush. "Princess, huh?" Johnny snickered and Yuta stuttered a small. "I-It's nothing, he calls everyone that" but Taeyong, oblivious Taeyong, simply stopped walking and strided over to Yuta to wrap an arm around the other's waist as he eyed the other from up close. Yuta avoided the other's stare and he felt a wave of warmth hit him at just how intimate this must have looked. "I can carry you, like I've carried you numerous times, princess and i'll do it all again. I don't want you tired or hurting" he whispered as he brushed Yuta's hair away and - alright, friends do that too right? They help each other out they- "I'll kiss your injury later too, if you want. That and your pretty pink lips" Taeyong muttered and, okay so friends don't do that. Yuta heard Johnny laugh out loud. "I see why you didn't want to leave your friends on their own" he said as he air-quoted 'friends' with a low chuckle. "You wanted to be with your boyfriend" he concluded and Yuta resembled a cherry by then. Hitting Taeyong softly he hissed. "Why would you suddenly act all sappy in front of everyone?" he whined in embarrassment and Taeyong chuckled. "So everyone knows who you belong to, princess" he replied and winked with a smirk. "Now, what will it be? Walking or being carried?" he asked smugly as he separated slightly and Yuta tried rubbing away the obvious blush on his cheeks. "I can walk just fine" he mumbled sulkily and Taeyong chuckled again.

 

He couldn't walk just fine. It was half an hour later when Yuta climbed onto Taeyong's back. The elder carried him for another half an hour before the whole group decided to have another break. They were sitting beneath a big tree in the shade as they ate melonpan they had packed before they had left the camp. "Alright, so, what will happen is, we'll be walking through this place right here" Doyoung pointed onto the map as he talked. Yuta couldn't read maps but he nodded nonetheless. "This place is very dangerous but it's the key path that'll lead us to the amusement-park fast. Otherwise we'd have to make a long roundabout" he explains as he demonstrates. "What do you mean by dangerous?" Taeyong asked around mouthfuls of food and Doyoung wrinkled his nose in disgust. Shrugging it off, he explained. "We don't know why that is, but there's an unbelievable amount of undead there. They're also way more aggressive and violent we- uhm... Neo lost a member there once." he admitted, his voice trailing off. Jaehyun's eyes widened at that. "Did he turn into one of them?" he asked and Johnny, who had joined their chit chat shook his head. "We don't know, we had to run away" he muttered as guilt flashed in his eyes and Doyoung laid a hand on the taller's shoulder. "Johnny" he called, voice soft. "I know seeing Hansol as one of them would hurt you, are you sure you want to go through there?" he asked and Johnny shrugged off the other's grip. "It'll be fine. Nothing will happen. Trust me" he reassured but Doyoung couldn't help the bad feeling that remained in his stomach. "Fine" he reluctantly said.

 

"Everyone, how are you feeling?" Johnny asked after a while. They had walked for another hour or so and Yuta felt bad for Taeyong, as the elder still carried him on his back. Yuta had insisted he'd walk himself many times (he lost count after 7) but the elder was stubborn like no one else is. "Tired" said male huffed and Johnny let out a brief chuckle. "Alright well, let's stop here for a second" he suggested and let his bag sink onto the ground. Yuta climbed off of Taeyong and the elder stretched with a groan.

"Is that the infamous place with the insane amount of zombies?" Jaehyun asked, pointing at the road ahead and Johnny nodded. "Yep" he said, popping the 'P' as he pulled out his rifle. "Let's prepare ourselves. Take out your weapons, check whether they have enough bullets, finish your food, drink enough water and let's go" he instructed, voice flat and Doyoung gave the taller another worrisome look before rummaging through his own bag.

Yuta pulled out his pistol and he eyed the weapon as he caressed it's grooves and patterns. "It looks similar to my dad's, right?" Taeyong tore him out of his bubble of thoughts. Yuta whipped his head to look at the elder who had an unreadable expression. He nodded dully and Taeyong took the other's weapon gently. "He shot someone with the pistol I gave you, you know? Drank too much and shot an innocent soul" Taeyong muttered bitterly as he cocked the gun. "When the apocalypse broke out, I had an excuse to shoot him too" he continued and Yuta couldn't believe the other's words. "He had killed my mother. Abused her and killed her" Taeyong added as he toyed with the weapon. "She didn't deserve that. Me and my sister didn't deserve the trauma he put us through either. He was an asshole" he gave Yuta the weapon back. "I guess the apocalypse has its perks. I was able to end him with no consequences" he whispered, avoiding Yuta's eyes. "Plus I met you" he looked up to face the smaller. Yuta didn't know why the elder was telling him all of this but he figured that Taeyong trusted him. Taeyong took Yuta's free hand in his. "Don't be like my mother. If I ever treat you badly, get violent or anything alike" he began, grabbing Yuta's other hand that held the gun to point it at his own chest. "Shoot me" he said as if it was nothing but Yuta felt sickness crawl up. He quickly lowered the weapon and furrowed his brows. "You're insane, I'd never shoot you" he hissed but Taeyong shook his head. "Yuta, you know how I can get. You've experienced me sleep-deprived  and at the verge of insanity, I mean it. I don't want to become like my dad, so before I harm someone I love, put and end to it" he demanded, voice soft yet firm. "Before you harm someone you.. love?" Yuta asked as his stomach did a flip. Taeyong smiled softly. "I love you, Yuta" he confessed, whispering and Yuta felt as though his soul had left his body. Reaching out shakily, he caressed Taeyong's sharp jaw. 'I love you too, just say it. Say you love him too' Yuta thought as he bit his lip but somehow the words died down in his throat.

 

A loud clap startled Yuta and he jumped at which Johnny laughed. "Are you done yet? We have to go" he said and Yuta gulped as he looked at the tall male. He glanced back to Taeyong who smiled fondly. He still held the smaller’s hand and Yuta quickly (but reluctantly) let go. "We're good to go" he croaked out, face red as he was, yet again, embarrassed. "Alright, Neo, let's go" the tall male announced as he waved his hand. The group followed him closely as they walked up to the crowded street. Yuta was speechless with just how many undead there were. There must have been at least 50 in just this one spot. He wondered why they were there at this specific place but he shrugged the thought off when Johnny pressed his index finger against his own lips in a hush. Zombies attacked whatever it is that makes noise so as long as the group didn't touch an undead or made any type of noise, they'd be fine.

Or so he hoped. Johnny led the way, gun ready to defend himself and the group as he sneaked around the horde of zombies.


	13. Chapter thirteen.

Alright, Yuta might have underestimated just how many zombies there were. You see, Yuta has never been good in math, but there were clearly more than 50. 'Try not to get close to them, they might be able to tell you're human somehow' Johnny had said once. What the tall male had not said, though, was that the undead were literally packed. They were everywhere. Yuta bumped into and brushed by a few dozen but luckily, none of them actually caught on. The group was encircled by them, there was no safe spot and Yuta's heart raced at an almost inhumane speed. Taeyong was right behind him, which made Yuta feel at least a little safer but the situation really was one of a kind. Walking on an injured leg that was supposed to heal is one thing, sneaking and tiptoeing on one is another; Yuta's leg was throbbing in pain and the japanese male had to bite his tongue to not possibly whimper or whine.

Being among so many undead, Yuta noticed just how rotten and disfigured they looked. You don't see zombies this up close on a daily, after all. Their white, soulless eyes, the open, seemingly dislocated jaws, the drool and blood that trickled out of their mouths, the scent- oh the scent was beyond disgusting, If it wasn't for the place they were in, Yuta would barf, it was all so hard to look at, let alone smell.

The group walked past one undead that didn't seem as undead as the other's. Yuta didn't think there was much of a difference at first, they all seemed disoriented and brainless but this one in particular still had brown irises and the undead- or rather person seemed as though they were in pain. Yuta noted it was male, much taller than himself and blonde. The blonde male let out whines, his eyes had tears and it overall looked like the host was trying to fight off the disease that slowly spread in the body, twitching, scratching and shaking violently to maybe somehow get a grasp of reality back but it was impossible. Watching it all play out made Yuta sad, incredibly so. The blonde male looked young, he was maybe around their age and yet his life had ended already.

Too lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Jaehyun stop in his tracks. Yuta bumped into the taller and almost muttered a small 'sorry' out of reflex but he bit it back and only mouthed the word. Jaehyun nodded and pointed at Johnny, who looked at the blonde undead sadly. The undead looked back and it's almost like they had a moment, as if they were having a silent conversation. Doyoung stroked the leader's broad back in a pitiful manner, but Johnny quickly shrugged it off, rubbed his eyes and gestured for the group to keep moving. Yuta looked back at the blonde undead one last time. It must have been this Hansol guy.

 

Yuta was bad at math, he had figured out this much earlier. Something he was even worse with was time. He didn't know how long the group had already spent swimming in the undead but it surely felt like an eternity. Alright, maybe not etirnity but you get the gist, Yuta wasn't good with time. Squeezing himself through the masses was exhausting and he was short on breath already. The Japanese male imagined that was what concerts must have been like. Admittedly, Yuta had never been at a concert, but he was sure that the crowd was allowed to make noise and didn't smell like a dumpster. In hindsight, he took back the second statement. Crowds generally smelled like dumpsters. Another difference was, that a concerts crowd probably wouldn't eat you, so really, there was almost nothing in common. He shrugged the idea off and kept walking, gun ready in any case as he followed Jaehyun and Jaehyun followed Doyung and Johnny. Except he didn't.

 

Turning around as he realized he had lost the only people that knew the way out of this mess, he stopped the Japanese male with a panic-stricken face. Yuta furrowed his brows in confusion at first and took a glance ahead only to note that the others weren't there. He mouthed a 'fuck' and turned to face Taeyong who stood there a little lost with what was happening. Yuta pulled him close and whispered a small "we lost them" unable for anyone to hear but Taeyong and Taeyong pulled away  with a baffled expression. He pulled Yuta close again. "I'm gonna call them" he said, voice quiet but firm and Yuta shook his head at the words. Was Taeyong completely insane? "Taeyong, no, we're gonna find them!" he whisper-yelled back, holding the other close in a deadly grip but Taeyong shook his head as well. "Sacrifices need to be made, princess, I'll just fight them off" he replied. "Taeyong there are thousands of these, you can't fight them off, please, for the love of everything, don't do something stupid, plea-", "Yuta, I need to, let me do this, please! I don’t want to be a coward anymore" Taeyong interrupted and Yuta felt tears dwell up. He couldn't let Taeyong do that, no, he'd lose him, he'd lose his lover. "Taeyong, please, you don't have to do this, please" he whimpered and a sob interrupted his frantic whispering as he begged for the other to stop but Taeyong, stubborn, stupid Taeyong had already decided it and when Taeyong decides something there's no budging. The elder pulled Yuta in one last time and whispered a sincere. "I love you, baby. You're my everything" before kissing the japanese male harshly, pouring his every bit of heart into it and holding the other close. Yuta sobbed quietly into the kiss, he didn't want to let go so he held onto the other as best as he could. Taeyong was still stronger than him but Yuta would never go down without a fight, he clawed at the other's clothes and whispered small, pathetic. "No, please" 's but to no avail. Taeyong had pried off the other's hands and mouthed a 'sorry' before separating.

 

'No, no, Taeyong, don't you dare, Taeyong, please, don't leave me again, you said you wouldn't leave me, Taeyong, please, Taey-'

 

"Johnny!" the elder yelled once he had disappeared in the masses and Yuta whimpered. He wanted to scream at Taeyong for the most ridiculous and stupid idea ever, he cried and sobbed and Jaehyun held his mouth to muffle the pathetic noises. Johnny turned around in horror and Taeyong kept shouting. "Johnny, we lost you!" he yelled. "John- fuck, Johnny-" Yuta heard the other's struggles and cries in pain and slowly but surely, more and more undead followed the voice to attack and bite aimlessly.

 

Yuta let out a lot sob that was muffled yet again by Jaehyun's hand. The dimpled male pulled Yuta close and whispered. "Yuta, please, I'm begging you, don't call for him, please, it's gonna make this whole situation worse, please, I know you want to save him, I do too, but please-" Jaehyun said and Yuta could tell the other was at the verge of tears too, his voice was thick and the hand that was holding the smaller shut was shaking. Yuta kept crying, letting it all out. A loud shatter startled him and he jumped. Turning around, he noticed Johnny and Doyoung had come back and Johnny had thrown an object at nearby windows to distract the zombies. Said zombies, brainless like they are, simply followed the shatter, rushing past the group nearby, leaving a breathless Taeyong on the ground. The former leader was clutching his arm and groaning in pain and Johnny strided over to him, angrily pulling the other up onto his feet. "Are you fucking insane? What kind of bullshit stunt was that?!" he growled and Yuta ducked his head because Johnny was yelling. An undead immediately turned around was about to attack the tall male but Johnny shot it in the head and then shot some more windows or other objects that'd elicit noise, luring them into his 'trap'. Taeyong didn't answer but instead winced in pain. Johnny was fed up and dragged the other by the collar, pushing past undead and stomping off angrily. Doyoung and the rest followed hastily and Yuta was worried. He was glad Taeyong didn't die on the spot but the current situation wasn't the best either.

 

Johnny was fast when angry, unbelievably so. Yuta and Jaehyun had to run to catch up, which wasn't easy as there were still many undead in their way. Fighting through it all with all his might, despite the injured leg, Yuta was determined to help Taeyong and hold him close. He wanted to care of whatever injury the other had since Taeyong and Jaehyun always looked after the smaller as well.

 

"We have no place for Alpha-esque men like you in this fucking group!" Johnny shouted and threw Taeyong onto the ground when the group was far enough from the dangerous and crowded place. "I am the leader here, you have no word in what we do or how we save everyone, you all should have just kept walking!" he yelled and somehow the words seemed similar. "We lost you, I wanted to save everyone!" Taeyong spat back, despite currently being the one on the short end. He would never let anyone look down on him. "Well, great job, hero, you could have killed us with your dumbass action" Johnny said, brows furrowed and teeth clenched and the words striked something in Taeyong. "Did you even think before doing this? Do you always make decisions like that?!" Johnny asked, scoffing. In hindsight, Taeyong didn't think things through. He never did. Not when he lost his sister's friends, not when he left his sister to rot and not when he yelled at Yuta. Stupid, stubborn Taeyong.

 

He kept silent, simply looking at an angry Johnny speechlessly. There was no excuse, it's just how he was. Johnny let out another growl before whipping out the map. "Since you're such a good leader why don't you find the way yourself? There, prove yourself, asshole" he spat, throwing the map at Taeyong before walking off. "Johnny, shouldn't we stay together as a group? What is this all about?!" Doyoung called, following the taller and soon it was just Jaehyun, Yuta and... the leader.

Suddenly, this word didn't have pride swell in Taeyong's chest, in fact he disliked the term now. He didn't want to be a leader. He was a terrible one, anyways. The word disgusted him now.

Glancing up at Yuta with a sorry expression, he tried to say something but he couldn't croak out anything. Yuta immediately dropped down onto his knees and felt the other up and down in search of big injuries. "Oh my god, Taeyong you scared me.." he said and Taeyong noticed the other's puffy, red eyes. He had made Yuta cry. He'd never want to make his precious Yuta cry, god, he really hurt people with his selfish ass, didn't he? How could he be this egoistical?

 

"Taeyong, please never do something like that ever again, please, I still need you with me" the Japanese male whimpered as some more tears rolled down his red cheeks. Taeyong reached out to wipe them away. "I'm sorry, baby, I'll never do it again" he said. Jaehyun soon knelt down next to the eldest as well, inspecting the other's body. Coming to a sudden stop, his eyes landed on a big wound.

His mouth went dry as his face paled at the sight. "Taeyong.. Taeyong, please tell me you had this wound before too" he pleaded and pointed at the other's arm but Taeyong closed his eyes and furrowed his brows. He shook his head. Yuta's eyes widened. No, that can't be. "D-Did you accidentally harm yourself? I'm sure you just fell- i-it'll be fine, we'll patch it up, I-I have bandages" he stammered but Taeyong shook his head again. "Yuta, I've been bitten" he said as he pursed his lips but Yuta didn't want to hear that. "No, you're lying, stop lying, it's not funny" he chuckled pathetically as tears gathered yet again. "G-get up, I'll put on a bandage and- and we'll meet Doyoung and Johnny and Mark and we'll just tell them you're injured and Doyoung will stitch you up, no big deal" he said, shaking his head as he tried to smile, but his sad eyes gave away the worry that brew inside of him. "Yuta, please, he's gonna turn in two days maximum, I've seen the way these wounds look like, he's been bitten" Jaehyun sobbed but Yuta refused to listen. "Shut up!" he yelled as tears rolled down his face. "Shut up, no one's gonna turn, we're going. Come on, my Taeyongie, my vampire, please, stand up" he tried coaxing the other and Taeyong sighed. Playing along, he slowly stood up. "I can carry you, just like you carried me" Yuta insisted with a sad smile. "Yuta, I'm too heavy-", "No, please, let me! Please, I'm strong enough" he cried. "I-I can fight zombies with my bare hands, r-remember? That's- that's our little joke, isn't it?" he sobbed, shakily offering his hand and Taeyong felt his heart wrench. "Let- let me carry you, Taeyong" the japanese male begged and the elder gave in. Lowering himself, Yuta waited for the other to jump onto him in a piggyback and Taeyong did. "See? wasn't that hard, was it?" Yuta asked as he wiped his tears away. "Let's go, Jaehyunnie, we have to catch up. You're so good at reading maps, please tell me which way" he asked in a soft voice and Jaehyun heaved a heavy sigh. Yuta was denying the truth.

 

Yuta knew that Taeyong was bitten, of course he did, he wasn't stupid, as much as he sucked at math and other things. He knew but he didn't want to accept the fact that the love of his life would turn. He hoped and prayed to whatever was out there to let Taeyong stay alive. He hoped Taeyong would miraculous climb off his back, laugh and tell him that it was all a joke and then proceed to get down onto one knee to ask Yuta to be his husband and adopt a child or something. The last part wasn't as necessary, they could adopt a child later, of course, Yuta would also settle down with just having a dog, he wanted a dog anyways. Maybe a St. Bernard-dog? Unless Taeyong wanted a smaller dog? Or a chow chow?

 

"Yuta.." a weak Taeyong interrupted Yuta's inner debate, half an hour in as they dragged themselves to wherever Johnny and Doyoung might be. No, no, keep going, Taeyong, quit sounding so weak, you're fine. "Y-yes?". Taeyong lowered himself onto the ground. "Yuta, baby, you can't carry me" he coughed out. "Yes, I can, I was doing great, you weigh nothing! You're as l-light as a feather" he argued but Taeyong sighed. "You were shaking and panting, Yuta, you can't - literally can not - carry me" he replied hoarsely. "Well, Jaehyun can carry you, right? You can carry him, Jaehyun, would you please be a dear and do that? We need to hurry" he begged, voice trembling and Taeyong reached out to hold the smaller male's hand. He looked Yuta into the eyes. "Yuta, baby, please, let it go, I'm not gonna survive.." he said but Yuta shook his head vigorously, sobbing again. "Y-You're fine, please, Taeyong, you're gonna be fine just- let me just- please" he begged unsure of what he even wanted to say. He was lost and helpless.

 

Taeyong muttered a small "Yuta.." before sinking down onto his knees as he groaned in pain and clutched his arm. Laying down as he was too weak, he panted heavily. "Yuta, let it go" he choked out but Yuta denied it. "No, no, no, Taeyong, no, don't do this to me, stop this awful joke, it's not funny!" he sobbed. "Yuta, accept it" Taeyong replied. "Please, I don't want to see you sad in my last conscious minutes" he said and Yuta cried fully, tears rushing down his face as he sat down next to Taeyong. Jaehyun stood next to him, quietly crying as well. Yuta finally nodded. That was it. This is how it'd end. He had so much to say to Taeyong but he settled for something the other had been waiting to hear for long.

 

"I fell for you too!" Yuta said, voice wavering as fat tears rushed down his face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I love you, Lee Taeyong, I love you so much" he said, pouring his heart out as loud sobs shook through his body. He held Taeyong with trembling hands. "I fell for you, Taeyong, I fell for you, I love you, I fell for you hard, I love you so much" he kept shouting over and over again, almost like a mantra. Yuta kept rambling in between heart-wrenching sobs and at a point, he couldn't even hear his own words, he couldn't breathe properly, nor could he see as the tears blurred his vision. He kept talking, coaxing and bringing up the things he hoped the two would do. The garden. The dog. God, Yuta wanted this so bad. His voice cracked, his hands could barely hold onto Taeyong but the vulnerable male kept talking, kept showering the other in affection. "I love you, Lee Taeyong, I love you so much, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, please, don't leave me, Taeyong, I need you, I fell so hard for you, I wanted us to marry, please-" A hand softly caressing Yuta's cheek interrupted him. Taeyong had managed to move. Yuta stopped rambling but the whimpers and sobs didn't lessen.

 

"Yukkuri" Taeyong whispered and Yuta's eyes widened.

 

No...

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the dead bite" Taeyong said with a smile.

He was smiling because he did it. Taeyong did it.

That was it. He finally did it.

 

Taeyong could sleep. Finally. That was it. He could finally sleep.

 

 

 Taeyong beat insomnia.

 

ً


	14. Short Sequel.

It's been months and Yuta still thought about it. How could he not, this moment was unforgettable.

He looked back at the time he and Taeyong had spent together. The amount of times the other had saved him, their kisses, the confessions, the struggles. God, the struggles. So much had happened in those very few days.

He brushed away the thoughts, though, as he was in a convenience store Neo had rebuilt. Strolling around for food, he walked into an isle that had his breath hitch.

He walked past some dirty jars, when suddenly one in particular caught Yuta's eyes. It was peanut butter. God, when was the last time Yuta had eaten peanut butter? He had stopped eating peanut butter because of what had happened. The memories hurt too much but Yuta knew; he had to move on. What happened, happened, he couldn't look back in pity like that for the rest of his life. Determined to make the first step, he reached for the jar when suddenly-

"What the fuck?" a deep voice echoed in the otherwise empty store and Yuta froze. Looking through the rack, he found dark eyes staring back at him. He tried pulling the jar out of the other's deadly grip.

 

"That's my jar of peanut butter".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Is Taeyong dead?
> 
>  
> 
> lmk your thoughts on my story on twitter @yuucafae or comment something down below !! Thank you for reading.
> 
> [By the way, this all was loosely inspired by «la casa de papel» so if you liked the story, definitely check it out. And if you didn‘t like the story, check it out nonetheless, it‘s an insanely good series].


	15. A/N

Hello, everyone!

It's been a while since I uploaded anything on here.  
First of all thank you for all of your kind words, I'm glad that you enjoyed what I've written so far. Now, I may have responded to some who wished for a second part, saying there would be none, but after reconsidering it all, I decided to write one nonetheless.

 

**tldr; I'm happy to announce a second part of dalliance!**

  
The second part will be called Soliloquy and I'm currently writing said part.  
I am at 12k and aim to write at least as much as I had written for dalliance.

Until then,  
Thanks again for reading, I love you!


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